Nexus Nevermore
by RogueFanKC
Summary: Set in Red Witch's Misfitverse! The Slayers and the Charmed Ones sense trouble brewing, but can the XMen, Misfits, and Joes manage to protect them from the wrath of the Heartless and the Hellfire Club or will the Nexus be lost in the hands of evil forever
1. Like Pawns to the Chessboard

**Author's Notes: I do not own the characters from the "X-Men: Evolution" and G.I. Joe, for they are the respective properties of Marvel Comics and Hasbro Entertainment. Characters of the Justice League as well as Luthor, General Eiling, Batgirl and Supergirl are property of DC Comics. The character, Jake Clawson, is from the SWAT Kats cartoon and is the property of Hanna-Barbera. The character, Leomon, is from the cartoon, "Digimon", and is the sole property of Saban Entertainment. The characters regarding the Thirteenth Order and the Heartless are from "Kingdom Hearts", a video game made by Disney and Square-Enix. The characters of the Charmed Ones, including the witches and Whitelighters, are the sole property of Aaron Spelling while the characters of the Buffy universe are the respective property of brilliant writer, Joss Whedon. The characters of the Misfit-universe, including Althea Delgado, Xi, Trinity, Claudius, Blind Master, and Lina are the respective property of brilliant authoress, Red Witch, who has graciously lent me her universe to write about. I DO own the OC Whitelighter characters, Justin Moore, Krygaw, and Damionax, and I am not writing this as a way to make money but for the enjoyment of all readers, so please, for the love of God, don't sue me! I credited everyone! That said, I hope everyone enjoys the most insane crossover I have ever attempted yet between the Misfits, "Charmed", and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" universe. This takes place after "Chosen", the series finale of "Buffy" and after the events of "Scry Hard" in Season Seven of "Charmed". Yep, that's right folks! I'm rewriting the events of the finale of Season Seven in Charmed, including the fact that Elder Gideon is still alive in my series (he was never killed). That said, sit back and enjoy the madness and drama in a little story I call…**

**Nexus Nevermore**

**CHAPTER 1: Like Pawns to the Chessboard**

Professor Xavier just sat there in his wheelchair, silent and brooding as he remained on the wooden floor of one of the gazebos that was standing in the middle of the east garden, looking out upon the grounds of the Institute of the Gifted, blankly staring at nothing in particular.

It was a clear night, not a single cloud in the sky, and though it was a new moon, the stars in the dark sky still provided a soft and subtle tone of silver light to bathe the city of Bayville in an aura of peace and quiet, for once.

Unfortunately, for most of the X-Men and their allies who took the trouble to keep the recent events in mind, they knew that it would be anything but peaceful for the planet Earth.

"As the old adage once asked, a penny for your thoughts, Charles?" Hank's silky and refined voice spoke from behind, but the Professor did not even need to turn around to see that Hank, Ororo, Logan, and Jake Clawson were coming behind, approaching the wooden pergola with concern and understanding. Xavier didn't have to read their minds to know that the four were just as easily worried for him as they were about the incoming future. The Professor sighed but offered a rueful smile despite his desire to have some quiet time.

"Nothing that the four of you have pondered once before ever since our last fight with Trigon," the X-Men leader said as he leaded slightly back and looked at the stars, "I was just attempting to mentally reflect and see if there could have been a fact or minor detail that we may have missed during one of the meetings we've had so far with Hawk and the rest of our friends about the Hellfire Club and the alleged Organization that has been causing noticeable trouble for us and the world."

Logan snorted as he crossed his arms and rested one shoulder upon one of the porch's support beams as he crossed his arms over his chest and half-growled, "Chuck, it ain't gonna do us any good if we keep beating ourselves to the ground over this. Already, for the past week, we've gone to eight different meetings with the various people we've run up with so far, and none of them are able to discover anything significant about this Thirteenth Order or this 'Gathering of Twilight' crap. Dr. Strange, the Justice League, the Teen Titans, S.H.I.E.L.D, the Joes...all of them went over everything we know and every possible lead with a fine-tooth comb, only to turn up with nothing. Trust me on this, Chuck, if **they** can't make any sense of what's ta' come, then there's no sense in making yourself sick trying to achieve the impossible."

"Why, Badger, I didn't think it was even possible for you to be philosophical with that little cell you pass off as a brain. You never fail to surprise me," Jake sniped good-naturedly as the kat acrobatically leapt up and bit before plopping his rear and sat on the sturdy wooden board like a youthful teenager across from Wolverine. Logan glared at his co-worker with the evil eye, but he gracefully remained quiet (and made a mental note to 'accidentally' let loose some fleas in Jake's bedroom tonight).

"It **is** frustrating, I admit Logan," Ororo admitted as she leaned against the railing of the gazebo next to Jake, "And I honestly can confess I feel scared for the children. We've been through so much already with Apokolips and the Furies, the siege of Megakat City, Cobra, H.A.T.E, the Friends of Humanity. I'm just not sure we can continue to maintain our run of good luck and fortune, especially since it seems to follow a pattern of each succeeding enemy we run into becomes more ruthless and dangerous than the last."

Logan frowned as he chastised a bit roughly, "The kids can take care of themselves, Storm, and we can't continue to baby the little rugrats and force them to avoid every single threat that comes our way. Yeah, don't get me wrong about this. I'm worried and these kids need to smooth a lot of rough edges in their tactics and such, but I can't say I'm disappointed in them."

"Yes, I remember how proud we all were when the Misfits, the X-Men, and the Teen Titans succeeded in saving the world when they defeated Trigon a week ago," Xavier had to smile despite himself, "I could honestly say that I have never seen such a finer display of inter-teamwork and bonds of trust between the different groups with the X-Men, untied against the common enemy for the sake of all of us. It's quite funny to remember that it has only been a week."

"But will that always happen in each and every battle we face, Charles?" Ororo said in a voice that was on the borderline of resentment and reasoning, "This is much more different than any enemy we have ever faced before, worse than Cobra or Creed and Stryker or, yes, _even_ Apocalypse. The Hellfire Club may be planning something along with the Organization that could very well doom the entire world, and this new Heartless threat may be the very weapon that could kill all of us. Charles, please, take into account the possibility that this war may be one we might not be able to win."

"And what would be the alternative, Ororo? To give up? To not even try?" Hank asked delicately and with some weariness. He just wanted a good night's sleep after all of the recent turn of events. Storm's eyes flashed for an instant as she whirled on Beast.

"No, but what I am saying is that if we do not obtain a definite way or method or tool that can help us fight the Heartless, the Hellfire Club, and the Organization, then we may not even have a chance. And we cannot wait for leads to turn up on their own," she emphasized in a final and hard tone. It was apparent that the weather-witch had pondered over this problem and only wanted to bring it up on the chance that it could be an oversight. The Professor sighed.

"Ororo, I have already realized the importance of such a vital piece or tactic that could be used as our trump card in this fight, but we have no such information about this Heartless or the Thirteenth Order ever being on Earth before. Not even Wonder Woman has been able to receive any records from the Roman gods or how Dr. Strange and Benny recently confessed that none of their associates have ever experienced or witnessed this threat. That is why I am just as worried as you are, perhaps more so. For when the Hellfire Club does make their next move, it shall be us that will be caught in the destructive crossfire."

"And the Misfits and the Joes too," Jake pointed out, "But that could be a silver lining in this whole mess. No matter where we and the kittens are in this fight, at least we won't fight alone. And frankly, I'm glad we have the close relationship with the Joes and the Misfits, all fights and arguments and differences aside. It helps, to know that we're not alone, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that we do trust them and that we'd do everything we can to make sure that the Joes and Misfits would be safe from harm."

"You don't speak for all of us, Jacob," Ororo said in a somewhat hard voice, using the kat's full name to show her annoyed disagreement at that statement.

"Storm," chastised Logan, a bit taken aback at that harsh assertion and frowning. Jake however held up a paw, letting Logan know that he didn't take any offense as he looked at Storm's blue eyes. He knew the reasons why Ororo still had her reservations on the Misfits.

"Shipwreck is a good man, Storm. Eccentric and foolish sometimes, yes…but he's a noble kat nonetheless," Jake prodded gently, not seeing Hank's fur bristle at Jake's support for his rival for Ororo's affections. Storm just kept quiet, brooding. The Professor continued on a bit uneasily at the awkward silence.

"That is why the Justice League along with the Titans and our associates are compromised to prepare for the worst and hope for the best for now, as mildly as I can put it," Xavier said, "As much as we would all like an established and fruitful lead, everyone knows that we can only wait until the Hellfire Club or the Thirteenth Order makes its next move."

"I doubt that they're going to just suddenly mess up or make some sort of mistake and expose themselves," Razor pointed out while scratching at the wooden beam with a claw, "The Hellfire Club aren't fools, and they're cunning enough to hide what they're doing. If anything, when we do find out what the Hellfire Club is trying to achieve, it's because they _want_ us to know, not because it was a simple fluke or screw-up."

Ororo nodded as she said, "Like Hawkgirl and Robin have both pointed out at our last meeting, it shall be as if the Hellfire Club is taunting us, and with Luthor and Slade being confirmed members, this could be a simple strategic move for them, one that they'll be fully ready for interference from us."

"Then this may be the very calm before the storm then," Hank said as he looked at the moonless sky, "With the appearance of the Thirteenth Order being more bold and audacious as well as the Hellfire Club's betrayal to the H.I.V.E. Academy and Lex Luthor trying to run for presidency of the United States, I fear things will get much, much worse in the times to come. We may not be able to even comprehend how the Inner Circle could top themselves with their next move, but it **is** possible. They **are** capable of it. And should it ever come to pass, I fear we will gain many more enemies against the X-Men."

"Maybe we can balance it out with the arrivals of new allies, or at the very least, people who have a common goal alongside ours and who would be willing to fight with us," Xavier said.

"We can't always depend on freak instances like that dipstick, Leomon, Chuck," Logan muttered, "Besides, even if we do finally go head to head with the next army of Heartless of the next crony of the Inner Circle, who can we find besides the Titans and the Justice League who're powerful, experienced and tough enough to go head to head with a demonic horde of demons and powerful mutants?"

---

At the same time, high in the Watchtower in Earth's lower orbit…

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_**" screamed Kara in pain as she clutched her head, her palms resting on her temples as she howled, writhing uncontrollably and nearly going into spasms of suffering. The agony was intense and unbearable; it was like being pierced with a giant spear of red-hot steel dead center into her heart and somehow having the liquid metal run through every nook and crevice of her veins and capillaries in her organs, skin, and brain. In that long tirade, Supergirl would have gladly chosen death if she could. The blond-haired protégée of Superman was shrieking loudly enough to wake the dead, but in this case, it certainly alerted the rest of the Justice League and Batgirl as well.

"What's going on? What's wrong with Kara?" gasped Green Lantern as Batgirl tried to hold her friend from collapsing and fainting on the floor while Supergirl just screamed and screamed without words. Batgirl was stunned and puzzled beyond disbelief.

"I don't know!" the red-haired vigilante gasped, "We were just talking for one moment, and then she just started acting like this for no reason! Kara? Kara! Kara, hold on! **_Help her!_** I think she's in pain!"

"Gee, what was your first clue?" shot back Wally as he and Superman zoomed up to the two teenage girls, "The screaming or the fact that she looks like she's going through the monthly PMS tipped you off?"

"Wally?" Wonder Woman said in a flat tone.

"Yeah?"

"Please shut up."

"I'll take Kara to the infirmary ward," Superman said with great concern and worry in his voice as he moved to gather his sister in his arms, but Supergirl's eyes began to glow with the intensity of a thousand suns as he body began quivering in violent throes of paroxysms, and instantly, Barbara could see something, a hot aura, forming all around Supergirl.

"Watch out! Get back!" she cried, much to Flash and Superman's collective confusion as Supergirl had a number of images fly by her head despite the pressure crushing her body…death, darkness, a circle of powerful mutants, hooded figures in black hooded cloaks, light, a door, and an blond-haired angel with black wings against the sign of the Heartless. The voices were horrendous, permeating every iota of her mind and thought, driving her mad as then a cold, disembodied female voice called out inside her mentally.

_It is coming…_

"**_LEAVE ME ALONE!_**" Supergirl screamed, and instantly, her fire wings erupted from her back violently, causing a enormous backlash of heat and flames that rivaled that of s supernova. Before they could be incinerated, superman quickly grabbed Batgirl and both he and the Flash dashed off before they could succumb to the deadly flames. As invulnerable Superman was, he didn't want to take chances with the spirit of the Phoenix Force inside Supergirl. Supergirl kept screeching like a banshee as she ascended up into the air, her wings spreading into their full glory, a cyclone of hot air and fire swirling around her.

"What is with her?" Green Lantern gasped as he used his ring to create an emerald-colored energy barrier to shield all of them before the energy of the fire wings could touch them.

"I do not know. I cannot sense her mind for it is chaotic, jumbled, almost shattered into fragments," Martian Manhunter said in a calm voice, though his eyes were solemn and troubled. And as suddenly as it happened, the fires immediately vanished into this air, barely emitting a puff of smoke, before Supergirl stopped screaming and collapsed, hitting the metal floor solidly, nearly unconscious from her ordeal.

"Kara!" Superman yelled as he, Batgirl, and the rest of the League rushed over to the young teen. Superman protectively gathered Supergirl in his arms before Kara weakly looked into the faces of the other superheroes before she managed to choke out, her voice and body quivering with the cold.

"The angel…the wings of darkness…" she whispered, and Kara then fainted, passing out as she went limp into Superman's arms.

Half an hour later, Batgirl and the Justice League were gathered around Supergirl as she laid motionless on a bed with two wired nodes, one connected to her forehead and one to her chest, detected her respective to an EEG and an EKG machine, beeping faintly.

"So what's wrong with Supergirl and what made her act out like that?" Green Lantern asked, "Do you think it could be from the Phoenix Force she absorbed inside her when she fought at Apokolips?"

Martian Manhunter shook his head as he gently caressed the sweaty and feverish forehead of Supergirl, brushing her bangs tenderly like any father, replying in his tranquil rational voice, "No, it is not the Phoenix Force. Though it is a powerful being of energy, I could have easily detected the presence of the Phoenix Force had it been the one causing Supergirl's suffering. Yet if anything, the remnant of the spirit was not the one that was hurting Supergirl. I could sense some sort of foreign outside force invading Supergirl's body, as if it was a direct onslaught on her soul and core of her being. I can't explain it nor detect it any further because it has vanished, but whatever caused Supergirl to come into a coma, it was some unnatural outside influence."

"But how could it have gotten past the detection and security of the Watchtower?" Wonder Woman asked, distressed, "If it was some sort of energy beam or biological warfare or even nanotechnology that has afflicted Kara, shouldn't our systems have detected the presence and alerted us of such a invasion?"

"I don't think it's anything like that," Flash put in, "All the signs from the EKG and EEG show normal patterns, except that she's just in some sort of deep sleep."

"So what else could it be? Magic?" John Stewart half-joked. Unfortunately, when he caught the solemn and serious gazes of Hawkgirl and Batman and Martian Manhunter, his jaw slightly dropped in astonishment.

"You're serious?" Green Lantern repeated, making sure he was clear on their answer.

"It's the only logical explanation," sighed Wonder Woman, accepting it. As a goddess and an Amazon from Paradise Island, she was much more open to the notion of magic and the bizarre.

"And there's another reason why we suspect this may be some sort of paranormal assault," Hawkgirl reported as she held up her mace for everyone to see, and sure enough, the League and Batgirl could discern a faint while glow of luminescence covering the head of her weapon, faint but evident. Hawkgirl continued to explain.

"Remember, my mace is made of N'th metal, and it reacts strongly with any sort of magical energy and mystic signatures. Since our scanners couldn't detect any biological or chemical imbalances and J'onn couldn't sense any malicious outpouring from the Phoenix Force inside Supergirl, it's safe to say that my mace is indicating that whoever's doing this had cast some sort of spell or charm on Supergirl."

"Magical? Well, if that's the case, they why don't you just say '_bibbidy-bobbidy-boo_' on Supergirl and cure her, Bats? You did so before when you helped Etrigan against that witch-boy, Klarion," the Flash suggested, and Batman did his best to wither the speedster with a look.

"I may know some forms of magic, but nothing like this. Even Zatanna's skills could surpass mine. I cannot help Supergirl," he said curtly, shortly.

"Well, we know some people who could be powerful enough to help us out," Green Lantern suggested, but Superman shook his head in disappointment, already cursing the bad timing.

"Dr. Fate, Zatanna and Jason Blood have already left with Dr. Strange and his apprentice to another mystical universe to see if they could discover anything about the Thirteenth Order and the Heartless as of last week, and they're still on their duties of trying to look for any information that could help us deal with the Gathering of Twilight. And the reason they left was because Dr. Strange and Jason may have discovered a promising lead in the ruins of some ancient and magical kingdom that had the same energy signatures that have been appearing all around the globe, especially in San Francisco, according to some of their sources. As such, they'll be gone for a while," Superman said with some frustration.

"What about General Hawk and his G.I. Joe or the X-Men? Don't they know anyone who's strong in the mystical arts?" Martain Manhunter asked, and Batgirl gasped as it came to her.

"Of course! Margali Sefton is the mother of Nightcrawler's girlfriend, Amanda, and she's a sorceress! And Scarlet Witch was tutored by a witch named Agatha Harkness! And there's Raven from the Teen Titans! All three of them are incredibly powerful! I'm sure they can find something if we could reach them!" Barbara exclaimed.

"I dunno, it may not be enough," Flash put in with some hesitation, "If this magical mumbo-jumbo was enough to cause Supergirl's piece of the Phoenix Spirit to go haywire, then this might be pushing our limits. Yeah, it'll definitely help if they can look over Kara, here, but we're gonna need someone with major firepower to help us. And if we don't do something quick, Superman's gonna be short one sidekick."

"Must you always open that big mouth of yours and insert the shoe-store, Wally?" groaned Green Lantern out loud as Superman gave the red speedster a piercing glare. Wally chuckled weakly, letting Superman it was a harmless joke. Batman's face was steel, emotionless, but he quickly whirled around and walked away from the congregation.

"Batman, where are you going?" Wonder Woman asked.

"I going to see if one of my past acquaintances can help us with Supergirl," Batman said in his deep voice as he disappeared into the shadows of the hallway, "Or, more specifically, **three** past acquaintances…"

However, at the same time, in the lair and headquarters of the Cadmus group…

"The Justice League have been already alerted of the status of Supergirl," Lex Luthor stated, almost chuckling, as he and General Eiling looked at the transmission reports that had been expertly and skillfully hacked and extracted from the Watchtower of the Justice League in one, sterile metal room filled with complex communication equipment. Deep and hidden within the many subterranean bases within Washington D.C. and with their technology, the Justice League would never be able to guess who and where the signals were being downloaded to. Though it was extremely difficult and it took much effort on the part of Dr. Hamilton and his staff of technicians' in order to find a way to intercept and burrow their Spyware into the Watchtower's computer networks, it was certainly a rewarding and fruitful gain, worth the many risks. In fact, Eiling doubted that the League would even detect such a small anomaly. The Omega Juggler just smiled, not the least bit bothered as he chewed the end of the cigar in his mouth.

"Good, exactly how we have planned, and I'll certainly be happy to see how this shall turn out now that we have what we required for our special weapon. And with the new Heartless experiments we have in development, it should certainly be more than enough to raise hell once we set them free in San Francisco for the slaughter," Eiling said without much thought.

"Of course, since the X-Men, Misfits, and Joes shall try to trace this back at the abnormal energy gathering in the city as of late while they try to request the help of the Charmed Ones, if Selene and Blackheart managed to succeed in their parts, then like all fools, those heroic imbeciles will play directly into our hands once they start investigating. But…why not try a test run with one of our more promising results? A gathering of heroes all concentrated into one place? It **is** tempting if you think about it," Luthor suggested with a sadistic and cunning smile.

Eiling's eyes glittered with anticipation and agreement as he concurred, "Of course. We might as well see how our newer models will fare against the Halliwells, the Joes and their mutant pets. And if some are killed before the eventual siege, then so much for the better, I say…"

---

Meanwhile, in a dark and abandoned cavern deep within the black, sooty, iron mountains of Hell, the very heart of all supernatural evil dimensions…

"**_DAMN IT ALL!_**" the dark-haired, goateed demon-warlock named Zankou bellowed with all of his might and hate as he flung another crackling, purplish-tinged energy sphere that could have taken out a small group of human soldiers instantly in incineration. The blast of death immediately collided with the nearby wall of stone and cragged earth before exploding hotly and leaving a very noticeable, smoldering hole in the slab of granite and mineral. Yet it was not the only one. All throughout the walls and borders of the headquarters were various, charred holes of numerous shapes and sizes, a testament to how long the satanic demon general had been hurling his attacks on his home.

To say Zankou was angry would have easily been an understatement.

The well-built, powerful and influential warlock was the supreme commander of over ten-score of some of the most depraved and ruthless demon warlords ever known to both man and demon kind, infamous in Hell and Heaven alone. He himself prided on his cunning tactics of warfare, strife, and hostile ability to conquer and rule over all with an iron fist. He was feared by many, few ever dared to stand and correct him or disagree with him (they would never live to brag that right), and Zankou even managed to defeat the Avatars themselves, beings of almost infinite power and omnipotence and authority.

So why in the name of Satan could he never succeed in defeating the three Wiccans known as the Halliwell sisters?

"**_Damn them! Damn each and every one of those bitches!_**" Zankou continued to rant, his entire muscled and toned body quivering with absolute burning rage and ire underneath his uniform. His energy and fury spent, Zankou had little choice but to just mope, fume, and try to plan another attempt to kill the Charmed Ones and steal the Book of Shadows…where it would probably fail and fall flat on its face just like the other various times he and other entities of evil have attempted before. Zankou however was far from admitting defeat as he continued to ponder while seething. There just had to be a way to weaken the Charmed sisters! There just had to be!

Suddenly, his tirade and session of meditative thoughtfulness was interrupted by a slow and intentionally mocking round of clapping as a female's voice rang out in amused jest from behind.

"Lost another match to the Charmed Ones, have you, dear Zankou? My, my, my…so does this make the tally a mere ten-thousand to one in the Halliwells' favors?"

Zankou whirled around to see a familiar woman of black magic, her long raven hair sleeked and shining like the purest onyx stone while billowing over her shoulders like a waterfall of death, her white robes clinging seductively to her luscious frame and ample bosom. Yet Zankou was not the least bit pleased or intrigued to see his guest from the Hellfire Club.

"Selene…" Zankou hissed, his eyes now glowing red, "Whatever you are here for, I can tell you I am not interested. The last thing I wish is to associate with those mortal fools in the Hellfire Club, especially since we demons have no adherence to the scum called mutants."

"I'd watch your tongue if I were you Zankou," Selene said, but her voice was mild, almost faintly pleased, as she continued, "Especially since the Hellfire Club wishes to inform you of a golden opportunity to help take down the Charmed Ones…"

Zankou snorted in disbelief at the Black Queen as he snarled with malice, "Don't make me laugh! Not even your fellow Externals could eliminate the Charmed Ones! Or have you forgotten how easily the Halliwell sisters killed Absalom and Crule when the God damned cunts along with Batman, Dr. Fate, and Etrigan stormed in at the High Lord Ascension to prevent your clan from ruling over the Earth? I can easily see through your lies, you filthy succubus! You think my men and I shall easily be led and do your dirty work for you and the Hellfire Club while you all just lounge around and reap the rewards of my faithful followers getting killed? Not likely, so get out!"

Selene's eyes now turned as hard and cold as steel at the reference to the High Lord Ascension.

"I assure you, Zankou, that this time, things are different, especially since the Hellfire Club now has the aid of the Heartless and the Thirteenth Order. But our plans to wipe out the Halliwell line cannot be accomplished unless we have you and your men assisting us for the eventual battle against those witches."

Zankou looked a little lost as he repeated with some curiosity, "Heartless? The Thirteenth Order? _Who the hell are the Thirteenth Order?"_

"**_That would be the group whom I represent, Zankou,_**" a deep voice rumbled from behind, managing to evade Zankou's supernatural senses until the very last minute, "**_But my Superior does not take well with disrespect to him and his Organization, so I highly advise you to watch that tone of voice, warlock._**"

Zankou nearly jumped out of his skin (if demon warlocks had any) as he whirled around to his unknown second guest, wrathfully humiliated that someone managed to catch him off-guard and unaware. However, for one of the rarest of occasions, Zankou was completely shocked and bowled over as he then realized he was staring directly into the muscled, tones bare chest of a black-skinned creature displaying an odd red-and-black symbol of a heart crossed out with a thorny "X" crossed over it. The warlock leader looked up to see himself staring directly into the red eyes of the ten-foot tall demon known as Blackheart. Even with his centuries of fighting and hostile conquest, Zankou knew from his demon instincts that this spiky-mane creature of darkness was not to be taken lightly. He could sense it, that aura of power that could gobble worlds whole…

"What in the name of Heaven and Hell?" gasped Zankou, "Who are you?"

"**_My name is Blackheart,_**" the Organization member rumbled.

Selene then said from behind the demon warlock, "As you can see, he is a being of great supremacy and dominant power, power that makes the influence of the Nexus and the Charmed Ones seem insignificant. _This_ is the true strength of the powers of the darkness and the Heartless…"

Zankou, though interested, remained suspicious.

"And why do you need my help for?" he hissed. Blackheart's eyes narrowed.

"**_The Charmed Ones are no fools nor are they weaklings. The three Halliwell sisters are one of the most powerful and formidable foes this planet has to offer, and unlike so many of their fallen nemeses, the Hellfire Club and the Organization are not foolhardy enough to go rushing into direct confrontation with the Wiccans, especially with their magic. Yet you, Zankou, have temporarily allied himself with them in order to vanquish and destroy the Avatars. As such, it could be a great assistance, for you have been working with and against Piper, Phoebe, and Paige Halliwell, so you know their weaknesses and strengths, their faults and their full potentials. Such insight would be highly valuable to us and the Hellfire Club._**"

"In other words, Zankou, an allegiance will work quite well against your hostilities against the damned Halliwells," Selene added, "You lack the power but have knowledge about the Charmed Ones and could help strategize how we could hurt the witches the most. The Hellfire Club lacks adequate knowledge about the true might of the Charmed Ones and their spells from the Book of Shadows, but we have the power to overwhelm the meddling fools once and for all. Thus, it shall be a case where we both help each other for the common goal…"

Zankou had to admit that he was weakening. Still, he wished to test exactly how potent this Organization member was, and without warning, the goateed warlock summoned another energy ball in his palms before he flung it directly in the center of Blackheart's chest, scoring it into the Heartless insignia. Selene made a small sound of surprise, but Blackheart wasn't the least bit fearful and he just stood there, his arms crossed over his torso, as the energy ball struck.

Ka-whoom!

A small cloud of steam and bluish sparks scattered in the air, but to the warlock chief's amazement, the energy blast of a thousand metal bullets absolutely had no effect! Blackheart just widened one eye with some amusement, but mostly irritation, at proving his point. Zankou was astounded beyond his capable belief. Not even an Avatar could have withstood that attack without at least some sign of discomfort! And yet Blackheart did not even bat an eye or wince in the slightest pain.

Zankou now felt a bit intimidated, if not wary and fearful. This representative from the supposed Thirteenth Order _was_ powerful.

Blackheart's voice was cold as he intoned, "**_You were given one chance to test me. If you ever dare to attempt that again…_**"

Blackheart left the message unsaid, but immediately, Zankou arched his back and screamed as Blackheart's eyes began to glow, enveloping the warlock with the same ruby brilliance of the dark creature. Zankou bellowed from the bowels of his deepest pits of feeling and agony, and it was even more humiliating considering that the commander was stubborn and adamant and had an unfaltering will of steel to a fault. By the names of the Ancients, not even the fires of Hell could set every fiber of his body aflame in such an excruciating manner! And as soon as it came, Blackheart stopped, causing Zankou to drop down to his knees in merciful relief, panting and sweating. As Zankou wrathfully and belligerently looked up at the black creature of darkness with a mixture of hate and poisonous respect, Zankou still knew that the Hellfire Club would not be shortsighted enough to request his services without a price…and a reward.

"What are your terms?" Zankou hissed.

Selene then replied with some satisfaction, knowing that they had cornered the commander and war chief at last, "Give full authority and command to Blackheart to order and summon your men. Both you and Blackheart shall share the roles of war chieftains with your mercenaries and any demons and warlocks willing to fight and provide their services to the upcoming battle in San Francisco. Blackheart needs an army, and you so conveniently have one."

"And what shall we get in return?" Zankou asked, his interest growing.

"**_You shall have the gift of the Charmed Ones' Book of Shadows as well as the powers of the Nexus, Zankou. And no, the Hellfire Club has absolutely no interest in the Nexus at Halliwell Manor nor that middling tome of pitiful spells. The Thirteenth Order and Organization have powers that are far greater and significant compared to the powers of the Earth and Wicca, and as such, we have no attraction in the rewards and gains you would reap from defeating them. We just want the Charmed Ones dead for they are a hindrance to our plans for the Gathering of Twilight,_**" Blackheart stated.

As much as his instincts were rising against the offer, Zankou knew that deep down, this may be the only way to get what he wanted.

"And afterwards? Once the deed is done?"

"You are free to part ways with the Hellfire Club and do whatever you wish with the Book of Shadows and the Nexus, free to use them to become the most feared and renowned warriors and warlocks of demon-kind in all the Earth. As Blackheart said, we couldn't care less about what you do as long as you help us destroy the Charmed Ones," Selene said simply.

"Very well," Zankou said as he wiped some of the blood from his mouth, "But I can warn you both right now that the Halliwells are very powerful and should not be taken lightly. Even with our forces combined, we still may not be enough to stop them."

"**_Oh, I can assure you, Zankou,_**" Blackheart rumbled, his red eyes now gleaming hotly with anticipated and eager savageness, "**_The Thirteenth Order shall make sure that the Charmed Ones do not make it through this unscathed…_**"

---

One week ago, in a quaint boarding school in the English countryside…

"And that's what you could make of this dream?" the Slayer Rona asked Willow as she and the others listened in intently to Willow's testimony along with Giles, Wood, Xander, Andrew, Faith and several of the new Slayers that included Kennedy, Rona, Caridad, Vi, and Shannon. Ever since that night, Willow had been zealously, agitatedly, and feverishly looking up all the ancient texts and manuscripts she could find in their small collection of the paranormal and whatever she could find on the Internet, much to Kennedy's worry. And in the very first thing in the morning, before breakfast, Willow and Kennedy spread the news to a select few about an emergency meeting. Since many at the boarding school were newly-instated Slayers, both the witch and the Slayer thought that there was no need to alert everyone of what vexed Willow on that fateful dream last night.

And thus, at the meeting, Willow went into precise and accurate detail of what she could feel in the dream and how it gave her a moment of clairvoyance and lucidness that a great evil and force was gathering in San Francisco, also sharing the term of the mysterious experiment that plagued her thoughts and aroused her primal fears. The others along with Kennedy, listened with great interest and there was only a puzzled and thoughtful silence when the red-haired Wiccan finished her narration. Rona just awkwardly brushed her dreadlocks off her shoulders as a weak response, but like everyone else in the room, she didn't know what to think.

"Experiment 666…" Giles repeated to himself before shaking his head, "I apologize, but Willow, I do not believe that the Council ever had any reference or record of such an event in all my time being a Watcher. It could be possible that such a monstrosity could not exist and that this could simply be a bad dream brought on by the stress of training and accommodating the newfound Slayers from all over the globe."

"No Giles, you know better than that," Wood said in his deep voice, "In our line of work, there's no such thing as odd coincidences and bad dreams. If Willow believes that she senses something building in San Francisco, then I'm willing to believe her. Remember, her connection to the Earth and it's life forces make her sensitive to anything strange or evil that may be building up strength and numbers."

"And it is better to be safe than sorry," Shannon replied, unconsciously rubbing the scar on her neck behind her ear where Caleb, a representative and servant of the First, had burned her with his ring right before he stabbed her, "I'm willing to go back to the United States again if it gives us a chance to nip whatever evil force is over there in the bud before it gets out of control."

"Wow," gushed a hyperactive and easily emotional, high-pitched Andrew Wells, "A quest for the greater good, a crusade to search for branches of evil and eradicate and purify the very lands were are sent to as holy men! A group forged by the bonds of destiny and friendship, united in the mission to save the world. Like the Crusaders on their journey to find the holy grail in the lands of Jerusalem! Like the Fellowship of the Ring that accompanied Frodo on his duty to destroy the One Ring of Mordor! Like Driscoll and Denham's expedition to save Ann from the clutches of King Kong! Like - !"

"Andrew?" Giles said, his eyes closed and a hand to his throbbing temple to mask his rising gall while everyone else fought the urge to roll his or her eyes at the tirade of the science-fiction/fantasy geek.

"Yes?"

"Do shut up."

Andrew blushed before he hastily uttered a soft apology. Xander turned his good right eye to Willow, Wood and Faith before saying, "OK, so a trip to the Bay Area where there's Chinatown, the Golden Gate bridge, and the gay mecca of the United States? I call dee-double-dibs on the window seat! Any contest to those dee-double-dibs shall only be won through a good round of thumb-war, Slayers need not apply!"

"You are certainly **not** going, Xander," Giles shot down sternly, "This is not a bloody vacation, if I should remind you none too gently, and we cannot send everyone to the city, especially when the new Slayers still need to be rather thoroughly trained and watched over in case of any secret attacks."

"I hafta agree with Giles here, Xander," Wood pointed out, "We can't send everyone out in San Francisco, especially since most of the new Slayers and Potentials still lack the needed training before they can even tackle a vampire or things much worse. And even though there haven't been any sighting of Bringers or vamps since the destruction of the Hellmouth in Sunnydale, we can't leave the girls vulnerable like this."

"I'd wish you'd quit calling us 'potentials', Mr. Wood," Caridad sighed, throwing the Watcher an irritated look as he highlighted-brown hair caressed her tan face, "We're **all** full-fledged vampire slayers now, not Potentials anymore."

"Sorry, girl. Force of habit," Wood apologized, but he gave Caridad a typical grin that was reminiscent of his happier, compassionate times as a former principal.

"What about Buffy?" Shannon asked, "She should know about this."

Yet Faith shook her head in a dismissive and care-free fashion, snorting softly, as she pointed out, "Nah, leave B alone for now. She and the kid are in Rome, and I don't wanna be the one to break up their happy-living and stuff, all nice and peaceful like. B doesn't need to be bothered by some lame fact-finding mission or some hunch Willow had. Nothing against you, girl, but I need more proof than a case of heebie-jeebies, you know what I'm saying?"

Faith added that last sentence when she caught the look of annoyed and protective anger from Kennedy and the look of hurt on Willow's face.

"Awkwardly said, but significant nonetheless," Giles said, though one could tell he was fighting the urge to correct her syntax and sentence structure, "We have no proof that Willow's premonition is valid, and as such, we cannot go into a full alert of emergency just because of a single dream."

"And Faith has a point," Vi remarked as she thoughtfully held her chin with one hand, "Buffy isn't the only Slayer in the world now, so any possible threat from the First that comes up doesn't necessarily need her involvement, especially since she's already busy trying to investigate the Wolfram and Hart branch in Europe. If Willow is right and something powerful **is** building up in San Francisco, we should be able to handle this one ourselves."

"Actually, that reminds me…" Xander interrupted, "Has there ever been a record of a Hellmouth in San Francisco? It could explain why Willow felt something weird there."

Kennedy shook her head as she replied with a heavy sigh, "Negative. Willow and I searched every text and manuscript we could find about all existent Hellmouths left in the world, and not one of them made any note or indication that there was one in the Bay Area or anywhere close to it. Sunnydale, yes. Cleveland, yeah. New York, no brainer. But San Francisco? Nothing."

"Maybe it's not a Hellmouth then," Rona put in thoughtfully, "Willow said she sensed that whatever this evil or this 'Experiment 666' is, it's nothing like the First or any of the other baddies we've fought before"

"So who'll come with you?" Caridad asked.

"Well…" Wood said after a moment of thought, "San Francisco is a big city, and I immediately thought Chao-Ahn could be valuable since she could help talk and communicate to the locals in Chinatown and guide the scouts there since none of us are fluent in Chinese. Also, definitely Willow and Kennedy and Faith since they're experts and powerful enough to deal with any unpleasant surprises we find in the city. I also thought of Dana -"

"_Dana?_" gasped Vi and Rona simultaneously, alert and alarmed. Indeed, everyone remembered the girl from the mental asylum that was brought from Los Angeles, a Slayer who had gone through dire and horrific trauma, both physically and mentally, that resulted in her being psychotic and needing to be incarcerated. Thankfully after much time, love, patience, medication, sedatives, and cuts and bruises (given courtesy by Dana, of course), Dana managed to emerge from her shell and destructive state of mind. True, she still had a long way to go and she was very fearful of others, but the other Slayers grew to see Dana for the slightly caustic and sarcastic yet hurt girl who needed love and a family like everyone else.

Still, sending Dana on her first mission as a part of the Slayers and Scoobies was sort of like adding gasoline to an already crackling bonfire.

"Are you sure she's ready?" Giles asked with worry, and Wood nodded strongly.

"She needs to start being exposed to what it's like to interact with people outside our little group, and I'll be with her to help accompany and guide her to make sure she doesn't get overwhelmed and such. But Giles, we have to let her out and expose her to human interaction at some point. It won't be healthy for her to remain cooped up here," the strapping African American Watcher emphasized, and Giles, though he still had some doubts, knew that Wood could be entrusted with Dana's care.

Willow then added with some hesitation, "Also, I think we could do with a few more people to help cover more ground. That's why I asked Shannon, Caridad, Rona, Vi, and Andrew to attend this meeting. I think it would be beneficial for the five of them to be added as a part of the expedition team."

"Wait a minute! Why **_Andrew_**?" Caridad asked in a hard and humorously exasperated voice.

"Yeah, why me?" Andrew whined in a high-pitched voice.

"To help you as a part of your training to be a future Watcher. Andrew, if you wish to help grow and mature in the role of being a Watcher to future Slayers, then you need to start going out in the field more and start learning how to deal with field work," Willow said as she gave a small hesitant smile at the nervous, blond boy even though a part of her would always hold some resentment at him and his friends for being responsible for killing Tara. Still, over the years, Willow learned to look past that and see that Andrew did truly redeem himself from evil and just wanted to make up for his past errors, though not from most of his faults of cowardice and opening his mouth before thinking.

"Well _that_, and if we somehow meet some huge, dangerous baddie that tries to kill us in the Bay City, it'll be the perfect way for us to 'conveniently' get rid of you as demon-bait," Xander put in humorously with a big smile, and it was rather difficult for everyone to say whether or not the one-eyed adult was joking.

"Then it's settled, dudes," Faith drawled with a smile, "We leave for the San Fran in a week."

---

Back at the X-Mansion the following morning after the Professor had his small talk with the staff in the gazebo the night before…

"Ugh!" ranted Kitty, incredibly irate and fuming as she gingerly walked out of her room, now covered completely from head to toe with a translucent, pinkish-colored, foul-smelling slime mold that would have made manure smell like violets. Toad and Trinity's handiwork apparently. Shadowcat continued screaming as she stomped into the living room.

"**_I am like so going to kill Trinity and Toad!_**" hollered Kitty, hysterical and shrieking so much that even dogs could register the high-pitched tone of her screeching voice. The only people who looked up at her yells of fury were Tabitha and Forge, both of whom were reading a magazine apiece while sitting on the den's couches. Forge raised an eyebrow, wrinkling his nose at the smell.

"Not cool. I take it this explains the small and gnarly explosion we heard upstairs a moment ago?" the inventor asked.

"Ugh, I swear, I'm like the only target for those totally immature creeps!" Kitty griped, nearly in tears as she tried to get the gunk off her, but with little success. The slime, though like mucus, stuck like glue and was already beginning to harden. Piotr then emerged from the hallway with a towel, concern and the protective need to soothe and comfort his girlfriend arising with his instincts.

Piotr whispered in a gentle manner as he started to wipe the gunk of Kitty's body and matted hair, "_Katya_, it's all right. I'm sure we can clean you up in no time with a good bubble bath and shower. You'd like that, wouldn't you? And don't feel too mad about these pranks. They're just trying to annoy and get your goat because you saw how much of a loser Alvers is and dumped him before he could ruin your life even more. Come on, Kitty, it's not much, and I'm sure I can run your clothes through the laundry while you go clean up -"

"Peter, it's OK," Kitty said in an exasperated voice, "I can like totally do it myself!"

Yet the Russian X-Man avoided Kitty's attempts to grab the towel as he continued to mollycoddle her, as if she was some child, still placating and trying to calm her down delicately in a infuriating way, "Kitty, just stand still so I can wipe out the mess out of your - "

Yet it was then that Kitty snapped as she growled and yanked the towel out of Piotr's hands, now starting to lash out at him.

"**I said I can do it, Peter!**" she almost yelled as she didn't even bother to look at her boyfriend and teammate as she furiously rubbed her hair with the towel, "Honestly, I'm not like some weak baby who can't like take care of herself! I can handle drying myself just fine, Peter! Like, I'm grateful for the towel, but can't you like stop totally babying me?"

Tabitha raised an eyebrow at the hurt on Piotr's face as he just stood there, backing off, and it didn't escape Boom-Boom that there was a look of irritation on Kitty's face when Piotr took that first shot at Lance in his dialogue. Then the awkward silence was broken by a familiar voice in the background.

"I see you X-Men never have a dull moment amongst yourselves or with the Misfits," and Forge, Tabitha, Piotr, and Kitty turned to see a semi-amused Batgirl, standing in her full yellow and black masked regalia. Though she was half-smiling, her blue eyes were solemn.

"Batgirl?" gasped Tabitha, "Hey girl! What're you doing here at Mutant Central?"

"Reconnaissance with you and the Joes and the Misfits, courtesy of the Justice League. Get Professor X to organize another meeting in his office. The Misfits will be arriving shortly. We've got trouble…" Batgirl said, her face now turning grim.

**Author's Notes: Well, the ball has begun to roll, faithful reviewers! Next Friday, we run into an old member of the X-Men as she endures a new horror, and Batgirl briefs the X-Men the Misfits and the Joes about the recent events! And as for the Charmed Ones, trouble is brewing with Inspector Sheridan and Agent Keyes while the sisters get a few unwelcome guests in the manor, and Piper will certainly not be pleased! Until next week, read and enjoy! Constructive criticism welcome!**


	2. Kindred Missions

**Author's Notes: Wow, thanks to all the reviews! Special kudos to Red Witch, asha-man72, Sparky Genocide, Doza, Gothik Strawberry, MCM, and Dante Tigerwolf! And special thanks as well to my friend, Phillipe, who was gracious enough to lend me his Season Seven DVDs of "Buffy" so that I could study and re-watch them to my heart and mind's content for this story! Yes, I'm THAT much of a nerd.**

**Pietro: And this is new news HOW, exactly?**

**Quiet you! Anyways, enjoy this chapter!**

**CHAPTER 2: Kindred Missions**

"No! Mom!" screamed the mutant, Jubilation Lee, her cheek scraped and bleeding, as she flattened herself against the wooden wall in a state of fear and petrified horror, her brain frozen against the commands to act. But it was too late and all the Chinese girl could do was feel her heart break as the vampire snapped Jubilee's mother's neck in two ruthlessly. The woman died without a sound, falling limp with her eyes frozen open in their death glaze as she hit the floor, blood starting to dribble out of her mouth and one nostril. And from not too far away, in the living room, Jubilee's father was lying face down in a puddle of his own blood next to the broken front door, the splintered wooden slab dangling haphazardly on one hinge. The Turok-Han had gotten to him first before setting itself on Jubilee and her mother.

Jubilee could barely recall what exactly happened when the creature stormed through the front door while she and her family were watching the news in the living room, and at first, the teenager thought it was more protestors trying to break down the house or another round of attempted harassment and assault from the local thugs of the Friends of Humanity. Yet when the teenager saw, to her grief and rage, the humanoid sink its fangs into her father's neck, Jubilee then knew that this was no simple prank or anti-mutant bigot. It had happened so fast, and Jubilee was too scared and stunned to even use her powers to stop the fiend.

Jubilee fought through the tears as she shakily stood up, using the wall to steady herself as the vampire set its bloodthirsty gaze upon the final member of the household. The vampire hissed with eager glee, its yellow eyes shining while its withered brown skin and wicked claws gave it the look of a pure abomination. There was no time to call for the police, and none of the neighbors would help the Lee family considering that the entire neighborhood treated them like lepers when she was first outed as an ex-student from Xavier's Institute of the Gifted. She was on her own. The Chinese girl then realized that if she didn't act now, she'd die alongside her parents.

And such a thought was enough to besiege the female adolescent with the purest forms of anger, vengeance, and adrenaline.

"If I'm gonna die, then I'm not going to go down easy, jerkface! You want to fight? **Come and get me, bee-yotch!**" snarled Jubilee with a wail as she grabbed the wooden banister of the foot of the stairs, her fingers digging into the oak wood. Upon the shriek of defiance, the Turok-Han charged with an animalistic roar, leaping at the black-haired gymnast with fangs and claws bared.

Yet thanks to her training as an X-Man and her rigorous gymnastics regimen, Jubilation Lee was anything but helpless.

With a roar, the super-vampire tried to pin its prey to the ground, but pivoting her left foot, Jubilee swiveled to the left at the very last possible second, the claws raking past her sweater and ripping it slightly, but the girl didn't even feel it as she agilely grabbed the stair banister and swung herself onto the wood like the balance beam and the pommel horse she did countless times before in the gym. Enraged, the vampire landed neatly on its feet and it flew past the girl and turned around to try to kill the girl again, but the second of turnabout time gave Jubilee just enough time to swing her feet, lifting her legs over the stairs with her upper body strength and arms, and smartly kicked the vampire across the face. The Turok-Han barely even registered the foot it as its neck cracked smartly to the side without the slightest ounce of pain and discomfort. At first, the vampire felt confident at the apparent weakness of the girl, but then Jubilee let loose a glorious and furious explosion of plasma directly into her opponent's face, delivering the wild surge of energy with a hook-motion of her arm as she flung it dead center into the monster's face. The kick was really to distract the creature long enough to allow Jubilee to get a sure shot.

**Ka-paaaaffff!**

The creature now felt absolute agony and pain as it screeched and clutched its burned face and eyes with its claws, sinking to its knees. Though Jubilee's power may have _looked_ like fireworks, they were actually much, _much_ stronger, powerful enough to disintegrate reinforced steel down to its very atomic structure. The brown skin bubbled and popped instantly from the first-degree burns and blisters already emerging from its face as Jubilee immediately dashed towards the kitchen and dining room area, away from the vampire. Snarling and now even more eager to deliver some payback for the insult to injury, after a few moments needing to recollect itself, the Turok-Han got up from its kneeling position and tore after the mutant.

As Jubilee rushed into the back part of the dining area, her mind was automatically bursting with the countless facts she learned and took to heart from Wolverine's Danger Room sessions:

_Don't ever be hesitant to run…if you feel that you have to run, goddammit, run! If ya' need to think, give yourself some time to plan and think, as much as you can, when you can. Don't fight the battle on your opponent's turf; fight it on yours. Use your surroundings and environment to your advantage; I can't tell you how many times so many bubs screwed up just because they didn't think about using something around them to give an edge in the fight. Don't depend just on your powers, just like how ya' can't just depend on your martial skills and fight head on; there's a right time to use 'em and a wrong time. Strength don't mean everything._

If she lived through this, Jubilee would never complain about Wolverine's training instructions and brutal exercises ever again.

With a demonic howl, the Turok-Han cornered the young Chinese female, but Jubilee was more than ready as she grabbed two carving knives from the wooden knife stand on the white counter and flung them at the charging abomination of evil. The vampire expertly dodged the flying blades, barely making an effort as it joined its clawed hands together and raised them over its head before trying to slam it down on the girl's head in a power-slam move, but adroitly, Jubilee side-flipped and skillfully somersaulted onto the tiled buffet on her rear before rolling through the narrow crevice between the kitchen counter and the cabinets, safely rolling into the dining room and again avoiding the furious swipes of the vampire's claws by a hair's breadth. Enraged and realizing that it was too bulky and clumsy to follow through, the undead creature was forced to double back and try to pursue Jubilee through the hallway that connected the kitchen to the exquisite dining chamber, but those few precious seconds gave the girl ample time to plan how to finish this battle once and for all, especially when her eyes traveled to the gigantic transitional pewter chandelier hanging above her.

Undaunted, the brown-skinned vampire charged again at his remaining kill, but Jubilee then hurriedly placed her foot on the nearby coffee table before pushing it out directly in front of her with a furious kick, sliding the low piece of furniture neatly with the intention to trip the enemy demon. Being no fool, the vampire jumped easily over the sliding furnishing with barely any effort, but by leaping into the air, the monster made himself fully vulnerable with barely any way to dodge any attack at him. This was exactly what Jubilee executed as she blasted the brown vermin again with both hands, a stream of multicolored yet intense globules of plasma and light striking the abomination full in the chest.

The Turok-Han screamed in an ear-splitting tone of inhuman agony as it crashed to its side, one clawed hand clutching its burned and seared upper body, the sweet smell of dead, rotting, charred flesh wafting throughout the dining room. Yet to Jubilee's slight amazement, the monster still shakily managed to rise to its feet, giving the girl a look of pure, frenzied bloodlust and rage. Though certainly smaller than the Juggernaut and Beast, the creature was much, much hardier, almost invincible. Yet just as the vampire awkwardly and erratically advanced towards the mutant teen, Jubilee gave a slight grin of vindictive triumph as her opponent placed itself right where she wanted it.

"Gotcha, bastard," she muttered as she then raised a single finger and sent a concentrated energy stream towards the apex of the ceiling fixture that precariously dangled the large chandelier above. With a creaking groan, the gigantic frame of glass and metal descended down steadily upon the lone intruder below, and like any stupid villain, the curious abomination made the fatal mistake of looking upwards at the commotion before it saw the large, metal pike attached as a decoration at the base of the chandelier spear it fully though its torso and body.

Crash! _Tinkle, tinkle!_

Jubilee just stood there, panting and quivering slightly, her heart pounding and the blood in her ears roaring. For a blissful moment, it was dead silent, and the only thing she could see was a ruined pile of twisted metal and shattered and cracked glass fragments. The mound was so abundant, it covered the atrocity completely, hiding it from Jubilee's view.

Did she win?

The answer came a split-second later when Jubilee heard the roars of the vampire underneath as the mass as the entire remnants of the ceiling ornament started to shake and sunfish a bit, as if something was struggling underneath to push it aside. There was no question about it. The vampire was still alive and was now attempting to free itself from being pinned down to the floor underneath the swell of metal and glass. Alarmed and fearful, Jubilee rushed to the other side of the chandelier to see the brown, bald and horrific head of the Turok-Han trying to vainly push the weight off him, finding it slightly difficult on the account that the pike at the bottom of the chandelier has successfully gouged entirely through its chest and embedded itself into the floor, making the creature quite stuck. It reminded Jubilee slightly of those insect collection displays with the pins inserted through the abdomens and chests of the tiny organisms. However, Jubilee knew that this wasn't over, and if she didn't do something soon, the vampire would free itself again. And the chandelier wouldn't keep the ogre down for long.

Jubilee then took a final, risky gambit as she wildly grabbed the fire poker from its holder on the fireplace nearby, and with a snarl, the Chinese girl raised the weapon high above her head, the pointy end of the instrument bottom-first, before she leapt onto the head of the vampire.

**Spack!**

The vampire howled as Jubilee drove the sharp end of the spike though its fanged mouth, actually pushing harder and harder until the mutant could actually feel the end hit the wooden base. She actually managed to stab the fire poker right through the Turok-Han's orifice and throat before chiseling through to the floorboards. Enraged and choking with the rod of metal in it's mouth, the enemy managed to rip one hand free from the mound pressing it to the ground and tried to claw at its attacker. Jubilee, despite the claws raking through her cheek and shoulder, screamed with hate as her hands began to glow and illuminated the fire poker she was holding.

"Die, you son of a bitch!" she screamed as her mutant ability of plasma generation superheated the metal in her hands, the molecules actually beginning to fall apart and turned very unstable, almost exactly like Gambit's power when he charged his playing cards. Gasping and sensing a strange pressure of force building up from the pike, Jubilee instinctively let go and hurriedly scooted back, shielding her eyes with one bleeding arm while the vampire attempted, to no avail, to yank the awkwardly placed javelin out of its chops right before the poker reach critical mass and discharged in a small yet blinding and brutal explosion.

**Ka-whooooomm!**

There was a small gust of wind and ashes that struck the cowering Jubilee before the light faded, and the mutant girl looked up to see just in time the vampire's head disintegrate messily into dust right before the rest of its body perished alongside with it, dying without a sound as the Turok-Han was finally slain. Without even planning it, Jubilee had caused the fire poker to explode with great force from the plasma building up its kinetic energy, and as it discharged, it took out the Turok-Han's head along in the process. And without the monster's head, the rest of the creature soon followed in its banishment from the mortal coil.

Jubilee just sat then, stunned and frozen with a mixture of exhaustion and grief as it soon came to her that her parents were dead, that they had been ruthlessly and heartlessly killed for no apparent reason. Jubilee's face fell as she scrunched up her face and wept at the images of her dead mother and father, the shock and realization taking its toll, her shoulder shaking. Yet then through her tears and silent sobs, she thought she could hear someone…talking?

Stifling her sorrow, Jubilee's head perked up as she strained her ears. Yes, she could discern it, a girl, no…a woman's voice conversing softly. And it sounded like it was coming from the front yard, near the remains of the broken front door where the vampire once stormed and crashed through. Creeping softly on her hands and knees, Jubilee made her way through the glass and splintered wood until she reached the living room towards the source of the voice and discreetly peeked through the lopsided and torn blinds. Through the cracks and moonlight, Jubilee could see a built, yet stunningly thin and beautiful woman and her early twenties, wearing a white, sleeveless shirt and a beige, billowy skirt to match her leather boots taking calmly on a cell-phone, her face stony and not even bothering to look up, her attention concentrated on the phone call. Jubilee at first thought the stranger had witnessed the attack and was calling the police for help, but then what the woman said chilled Jubilee's body down to her very bone.

"Piper, this is Phoebe," the woman said flatly, "Yeah, just wanted to let you know that the deed's done, and the mutant girl along with her parents has been killed. The vampire run was successful at eliminating all of them."

_Vampire?_ At first, Jubilee wanted to dismiss it as crazy-talk, but then she remembered her life as an X-Man and the fact that she just fought and killed the thing, so the mutant girl knew that she this wasn't a joke. It was deadly serious.

"It should be promising," the woman named Phoebe continued, "If the vampire could do this, then a whole army of Turok-Han should be enough to eliminate the X-Men and the Misfits once we lure them into San Francisco."

Jubilee placed her hands over her mouth in dread. The X-Men? The Misfits? Oh God, they were in trouble. The stranger must have been in on a sophisticated plot to kill Xavier and her friends, and her reasoning then deduced that the sudden appearance of the vampire monster attacking her and killing her parents was no accident. This 'Phoebe' must have sent it on her and her home.

"All right, I'll meet you back at P3 then," Phoebe said with some interest, "Just let me finish cleaning up here first before the police arrive."

_Not if I kill you first, you bitch_, thought Jubilee angrily to herself as she clenched her hand into a fist.

"Understood," Phoebe said before shutting off her cell phone, and then with a wicked gleam in her eyes, to Jubilee's amazement and shock, the girl held both of her hands in front of her a giant fireball. Without another second, Jubilee tore as fast as she could towards the nearest window towards the side gardens, not needing another precious instant to realize what this Phoebe was attempting to do when she meant be "cleaning up".

The young woman was trying to destroy the evidence. And Jubilee barely had time to process the fact that she was right as Phoebe sent a steady stream into the interior of the house, spreading every nook and cranny of the first story with demonic heat as Jubilee felt the glass painfully crack and shatter around her face and torso as she crashed through the opening.

**KAAAAA-BBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!**

The entire two-story house of Jubilee exploded with a nova of flames and heat, the demon fire and magical attack sweeping through the wood and plaster as easily as dry kindling, incinerating the entire structure within mere seconds. And as the flames ate up at the memories of her happy home, with the inferno went the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Lee as they were unceremoniously cremated. Jubilee shakily propped herself up from her sprawled position on the grass, her right cheek and shoulder bleeding, her black hair littered with glass pebbles. The mutant's vision blurred as she forced herself to turn away from the remains of her once-happy life and towards Phoebe who was watching the flames eat up every inch of the building, satisfied and nodding her approval at her handiwork. With a snap of her fingers, she vanished in a sea of lights, vanishing into thin air as she magically teleported. Due to the brightness of the flames and the thick foliage of the garden obstructing the view, Phoebe did not even notice Jubilee escaping her demise. But Jubilee would always recognize that face, now burned into her memory due to the grief, shock…and the need for vengeance.

"I'll kill her…" Jubilee half-hissed as she wept silently to herself, her lip quivering, "So help me, _I'll kill her_."

Meanwhile, at the same time, Phoebe Halliwell teleported in a swirl of lights into a dark, undisclosed area in downtown Los Angeles. There, waiting for Phoebe in an abandoned alleys, were two men standing in the shadows. It was Donald Pierce and Harry Leland, the respective White and Black Bishops of the Hellfire Club.

"Well?" Leland asked, though he knew the answer immediately when he saw the Phoebe returned without the vampire. "Phoebe" gave a short cruel laugh as she transformed back into the Cadmus member Tala, her appearance of the beautiful, short-haired brunette instantly melting away and dissolving in a flashing circle of lights to reveal the purple-haired witch in a dazzling robe of dark red and black.

"Ms. Lee surprised me with her skills, but yes, our objective has been achieved," Tala reported, smoothing a lock of her hair, "Her parents are dead and whatever has been left of her futilely-peaceful, secret life has been rendered to ashes…literally, of course. Unfortunately, our lone vampire was destroyed in the fight. Frankly, I'm surprised the mutant was able to destroy it."

"I'm not," Leland grinned, the portly man's jowls jiggling as he chuckled, "Jubilee was trained herself by the X-Men, to endure countless odds and fight with the absolute and persistent grit that can only be shown as a misguided soldier of Charles Xavier. If she couldn't kill the Turok-Han, then she would have been inadequate as our pawn against the Charmed Ones."

"And if she failed?" Tala asked.

"Then we would have simply sought after the other former X-Men such as Rahne Sinclair and Evan Daniels as alternatives, though I have to admit, it would have been much better since killing several Morlocks or mutant patients on Muir Isle would be more rewarding than killing two humans. But as such, we can disregard them now, since it is apparent the young Jubilation is sufficient enough for our additional plans to cause additional trouble for the Charmed Ones and the X-Men once they arrive in San Francisco. And not to worry about that lost Turok-Han. We have many more where that specimen came from."

"Did she hear you?" Pierce asked with sadistic pleasure, and Tala's voice got even smugger at the evident success.

"Every word," the sorceress of the Cadmus group giggled with sick glee, "Ah, how I love manipulating the weak-minded, and with just a simple trick of a glamour-spell! She'll be in San Francisco by the end of the week."

---

Meanwhile, back at the X-Mansion, a different kind of chaos was taking place…

"Trinity, let me go!" Jamie protested in Professor Xavier's office, nearly hysterical as Daria, Quinn, and Brittany giggled as they cuddled him tightly, making sure the young adolescent couldn't escape their clutches and hands as they cuddled and hugged him. Well, add the fact that Multiple was securely snared by three bola missiles from Trinity's respective glovatrixes, so with his arms and legs pinned together, he couldn't run for it and was stuck at the mercy of the Delgado Triplets. Jamie squirmed and wailed in annoyance as Daria, Quinn, and Brittany Delgado kept hugging and kissing him.

"Uh-uh, you're ours **now**, Tickle-Me-Jamie!" chortled Quinn.

"And we're gonna hold you, and cuddle you, and love you into itty-bitty pieces!" Brittany squealed, doing a very good impression of Elmyra from "Tiny Toon Adventures", only the cartoon version would have probably been less scary and demeaning.

"And don't bother trying to multiply yourself to break out of those bola lassos," Daria cooed as Jamie tried to struggle out of his bonds, "We manufactured those strings out of reinforced, pliable adamantium coils and diamonds beads. Not even the Juggernaut could snap those things easily."

"Kissing time!" yelled Quinn as the three girls pounced.

"Mua, mua, mua, mua, mua!" exclaimed the Triplets, giggling, as they kept giving the X-Man loud, juicy smacks on the cheeks, and despite being kissed fiercely by three girls, Jamie wished he had a one-way ticket to Antarctica right then and there.

"AAAA! Help me! **Help me!** Of for the love of God, someone help me!" Jamie screamed as he was subjected to the "torture". Unfortunately, it was apparent that no one wanted to stop the Triplets as various members of X-Men and the Misfits were assembling in the Professor's plush office to meet with Batgirl for a private update on recent dealings. Most of the members of both teams were already patiently waiting for everyone to arrive as well as the handlers from G.I. Joe and the staff at the Institute. Even General Hawk and Alfred Pennyworth, the butler, were present, and Alfred was casually dusting the bookshelves with a feather duster and cheerfully humming to himself.

"Um, Alfred," Tabitha asked as she and Amara looked on, "Seriously, take it easy. I'm sure the Professor wouldn't mind if you didn't tidy up his office during the briefing with the Justice League. You can just sit down and leave the chores alone for a while. The world's not going to fall apart because you're taking a breather while we're listening in to the 4-1-1 from Batgirl."

"Oh, it is no trouble at all, Ms. Smith," Alfred replied, though he did smile his thanks when Amara and Tabitha helped the butler ease down a bit on one of the easy chairs nearby once he finished his errand, "It is my sole duty as a butler to help tidy up your home. I appreciate when you young ones help me when you can or if it is too big of a task for me to handle, but I can surprisingly manage quite well by myself."

"Still, we don't want to have you strain yourself, and since we all have chores every day that we have to do to help clean up the place, you shouldn't feel obligated to do our housework duties while we're busy running missions. If anything, you're a guest first, and a butler second here, Mr. Pennyworth," Amara said, smiling as she and Tabitha sat on the sturdy armrests of the easy chair alongside Alfred. It was pretty apparent that in the short time Alfred was visiting the X-Men and the Misfits at the Pit, he had become a much welcome and appreciated grandfather-figure to all the youths, and despite Batman's repeated objections, even the Dark Knight of Gotham could secretly acknowledge that the mutant teenagers and adolescents would care and defend Alfred if anything urgent arose.

"Ow…I hurt…all over. Even my bruises have bruises," groaned Roberto as he, Remy, Bobby, Sam, and Ray limped their respective ways into the office, sporting fresh red and blue bruises from their additional and mandatory "special" Danger Room sessions. All five of the teenage boys collapsed onto the large couch in the assembly room, going as limp as rag dolls.

"I take it Wolverine is really letting you five have it after the 'X-Men TV' fiasco, huh?" Xi asked, his lizard tail wagging slightly back and forth and he leaned over the exhausted X-Men with an expression of faint amusement, "So exactly _when_ did he say you five will get off probation?"

"I believe the actual terms he used was until Magneto turns good and starts teaching at the Institute as Headmaster of the school," groaned Bobby with stressful fatigue, wondering if he could succeed in crawling towards the bathroom and soak in the hot-tub for a good hour or so. But Iceman suddenly found a second wind when Lina and Fred entered the room, and he grinned wholesomely at the insect-mutant who waved back (much to Fred's jealousy). Xi winced good-naturedly.

"Something tells me that you guys would have a better chance of hell freezing over rather than **_that_** happening," Xi quipped, "So if you want, I can see if I can get the power of attorney to start making your last wills and testaments before you all die of exhaustion."

"You've been studying up to have a lame sense of humor, I see," shot back Ray, growling at Xi's amusement at their plight. The Misfit's grin grew even wider as Rina stepped in alongside Wolverine into the chambers.

"It's required in this line of work," Xi replied rather smarmily.

"I shall make sure that all of your beds have hot-water bottles along with several tablets of aspirin tonight, Mr. Crisp," Alfred called out, overhearing their complaints and woes.

"Forget the aspirin, just give us morphine!" Sam wearily gasped, his arms tingling and screaming from the strenuous work of trying to block and fight the endless army of metal practice drones he had to spar with in the Level Thirteen simulation earlier this morning and wishing he could just sleep for twenty-four hours straight.

"And don't forget, we still have to clean and wax the Velocity as well as clean up the Danger Room again after this briefing. And Mr. Logan says that _this_ time, we have to floor buffer and polish," Sam continued.

"Did you have to bring **that** up?" Bobby groaned, "I still did finish my previous probation when I got the entire Mansion drunk when the adults we away when Mr. Logan gave us the additional penalty."

"I hate probation," groaned Roberto, whining, "I really, really, **_really_** hate probation."

"And what stinks is that us _hommes_ could have gotten a lot of dough for selling copies of the video footage," grumbled the Cajun X-Man, still bitter at being much poorer after the television experience. It was indeed a bit hard to swallow considering that Bobby and Ray calculated that the amount of calls that got for orders via the 1-800-555-HAHA had a total dollar profit of somewhere in the ten-thousands (and Remy was wise enough to not tell Piotr that Lance ordered several copies of the photos of Kitty in the locker room).

Meanwhile, Toad and Whitelighter noticed Jake was gloomily sulking by himself as he looked on lifelessly at the window overlooking the mansion's front gardens, leaning heavily against the curtains.

"Yo Jake, are you all right?" Todd asked as he and Justin mellifluously approached the instructor. Jake exhaled wearily with some misery, still a bit numb.

"Not really, kitten," he muttered, "Just spent a good portion this morning thinking about Chance again…"

Both Todd and Justin's faces fell a bit in sympathy. Justin gently took one of the instructor's furry paws.

"You still miss him, don't you?" Justin asked softly. The brown kat gave a heavy sigh again, nodding.

Toad then actually offered some rarely helpful advice as he said meaningfully, "Yo, Jake…time don't heal everything. Some days'll always be better than others, yo."

"Yeah, but those days will be the ones that really bite," Jake grunted, crestfallen that he could still feel that pang of grief every once in a while when he least expected it. At the same time, Beast was talking with Spirit and Low Light as Ororo was trying to ignore Shipwreck's persistent advances.

"Dare I ask what happened in this photograph?" Beast asked as he looked on a Polaroid of Emma Frost screaming hysterically, completely drenched and her hair and business suit covered with muck and filth as in the background of the photo, her entire main office of Frost Industries was flooding with raw sewage, the brown, toxic water cascading out of the doors and every single window. Low Light grinned.

The G.I. Joe sniper said, "Well, since we couldn't get a warrant for approval to search through the various businesses and organizations that are owned by the members of the Hellfire Club because General Eddington was staunchly against it, it didn't deter Trinity from sneaking into Frost and Shaw Industries without permission. After they hacked into Emma's computer systems, they decided to investigate the sewage system underneath the building to see if there were any…'possible failures'. And from what we heard, the headquarters of Frost Industries will be under quarantine, sterilization and disinfectant-cleaning for the next two months after Trinity rerouted the pipes to the city's septic tank."

"My, my. They certainly _are_ quite creative. So did they find anything during their escapades?" Hank asked after a good chuckle at the photograph. Spirit's face fell as he shook his head.

"Nothing incriminating or fruitful, and without a warrant, we can't search through the properties as effectively as possible, but I'd doubt that the members of the Inner Circle would be so foolish and short-sighted as to leave any indications for their plans about the Gathering at their workplaces and companies, public places with hundreds of people coming in and going out. If anything, the occurrence with Trigon made the Hellfire Club much, much more careful at hiding their tracks," the Native American Joe solider said.

"Not to mention Eddington is making our investigations on the Joes' sides more difficult," Cooper grumbled, "Hawk was right in suspecting that Eddington may have ties to the Hellfire Club if we have to keep wading through _this_ much crap from him and some of the other Jugglers."

"Hopefully, the meeting with Batgirl might provide us the lead we've been looking for," Hank pointed out hopefully as Shipwreck started yelping while Storm started to wail on him with the sailor's head caught tightly in a headlock, with Pietro, Wanda, and Forge trying to stop her. Xi, however, took no notice of the brawl as his friend Rina then greeted him.

"Hey, Xi."

"Hi, Rina," Xi said as he gave X23 a hug as a friendly gesture, but a very not-so-subtle and annoyed cough from behind caused the two mutants to look up to an incensed Wolverine, on the brink of giving in the temptation to use his adamantium claws on the lizard. Logan just glowed evilly at the two teenagers.

"Um…I'm asexual, remember, Logan?" Xi tried to point out, gulping a bit at the intimidating adult, weakly chuckling, "I'm not planning any unwelcome advances or anything sexual of the sort."

"Still not taking any chances, bub," Logan rumbled, "Now kindly remove your hands off Rina, or I'll be more than happy to remove them for you."

"Dad! We were just hugging! We're friends!" growled an irritated Rina, rolling her eyes, and Logan had to inwardly wince. No matter how many times Rina called him that, he could never get over that nickname of affection, but thanks to Xavier and Psyche-Out's therapy sessions, she was adjusting quite well and being more open to the thought of the X-Men as her family, Wolverine especially.

"Don't argue with me on this, kid," Wolverine growled, "I'm just watchin' out for your safety and benefit."

Rina then snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously, as she said hotly, "Honestly, Xi's the nicest guy here, a lot more understanding and considerate than some of the immature weaklings here at the Institute! Would you rather I go out with Bobby?"

"**_Hey!_**" protested said student in the background.

"He would _never_ hurt me! And he understands what it's like to be designed as an experiment and bred in captivity with only to be used as a living weapon! He listens to me, he explains what I should do when I don't know how to act like a normal teenager, he helps me when I feel scared, and he tries to help me go through my bad moments! Stop being so mean to him! If anything, **I'm** the one making the advances on **him**!" Rina snapped.

The elder's eyes then went wide and glazed with a mixture of fury and shock.

"**_What?_**" the grizzled X-Man hissed in disbelief, his jaw dropping as his right eye twitched at that one sentence. Logan was hoping, praying really, that he heard wrong. Xi gulped.

"Uh…Rina…" he meekly tried to request as a signal for X23 to stop, but the female clone of Wolverine continued on blithely, not noticing how much each and every word of hers was making Logan's blood pressure spike exponentially.

"He's too modest and shy to ever try to take advantage of me! He's been a perfect gentleman to me ever since we've started bonding after the Apokolips! I even welcomed him into my room _twice_, and all he did was reject the offer and say he wanted cookies instead! _He's_ the oblivious and naive one, so what are you so overprotective about? He likes to cuddle, but it's nothing perverted or deviant-like! If anything, I **_like_** it when we cuddle!"

"_Oh really?_" Logan rumbled from his animal instincts, wondering if the Professor and the Joes would be willing to pardon him for extreme assault and battery. Xi positively withered underneath Logan's fuming and wrathful gaze.

"And I asked him to show me what kissing feels like since I've never experienced it before, so blame me for trying to satisfy my curiosity, not Xi! I **requested** him to kiss me, and it was only a friendly one on the lips! Xi was only helping me understand human attraction, so he didn't do anything to make me feel uncomfortable!" Rina added.

Logan's fingers then started twitching as he gave Xi the purest form of the evil eye he could, already starting to envision what it would be like to wrap his hands around the Misfit's neck and strangle the life out of him. In his brain, Xi cursed the fact that even if he turned invisible, Logan could still track him by scent.

"Oh boy…" he whimpered to himself, wondering if General Hawk would be disposed to give him temporary refuge in Witness Protection.

"I would probably call this a case of digging one's own grave," remarked Wanda idly as she, Althea, and Rogue looked on, "Except in this case, Rina's doing the digging for Xi."

"Knowing you nutcases, do we have a pool?" Rogue asked, deadpanned. Althea grinned.

"Minimum requirement to join in is ten dollars," Wavedancer replied as she took out a pad of paper and a pencil ready to jot down the information, "And so far, the options are either Wolverine will back down and let Rina and Xi get together, Logan will die of a brain aneurism once the two become official, or we'll have to find Rina a new father figure and potential boyfriend once Logan goes to jail for homicide. And the third one's the most popular vote."

"Put me down for twenty-five bucks for the homicide," chuckled Rogue as she handed Althea a small wad of cash. Yet before Logan could give in to his violent tendency and desires, Professor Xavier suddenly entered in with Batgirl (and at this, Xi started thanking his favorite deity for the good timing).

_Logan, not now_, the Professor telepathically warned with a hint of exasperation, and Logan gracefully, though with some difficulty, managed to keep a lid on his bubbling ire, but Xi and Rina didn't miss the looks of death he kept shooting at the green Misfit as Wolverine kept glaring daggers. Xi wouldn't put it past Logan to try to make him "disappear" one of these days. Batgirl then began the conference as the Misfits, the X-Men, G.I. Joe, and Alfred listened on her reports and findings. The red-haired protégée of Batman described how Supergirl was underneath some sort of mystical influence, how it caused her to slip into a coma, and how she and the other heroes arrived at the conclusion that it must be an incidence of something supernatural and spiritual origin in nature. The mutants and the Joes listened intently and respectively until they reached Barbara's hypothesis that they explore the city of San Francisco.

"Wait, why San Francisco?" Scott asked, puzzled as he processed and stored everything he could learn into memory, "What lead you to believe that this particular city could contain a lead on Supergirl's plight or be a possible lead to the Hellfire Club?"

"It's not specifically the Hellfire Club that this city may point to, but it may have something to do with this Thirteenth Order," Batgirl explained as she drew up two holographic graphs displaying similar energy readings with her handheld computer, the holograms shining high in the air for everyone to see, "What you're all seeing are two analyses of the same energy signature, one found on Kara and the other found in one of the many wells and pockets of peculiar rips in the space-time continuum on Earth. This is the same energy reading that was affecting Kara, and Hawkgirl and I earlier measured a small sample and compared it to the strange and abnormal energy readings that started appearing on Earth when Dr. Strange brought it to our attention. You may not know this, but Batman and Etrigan discovered that quantities of magical energy have been appearing throughout the entire planet almost immediately after your last battle with Trigon the Terrible when you helped the Teen Titans. If you recall correctly, the Organization along with the Hellfire Club planned to release Trigon into our world in order to bring the Armageddon and doom the world for unknown motives."

"It's kinda hard to forget being attacked by a gnarly, far-out thousand-foot demon with the power to conquer universes whole, Batgirl," Forge commented dryly.

"I know, and we suspect that these sudden sprouts of energy that have occurring all over the world may be a sure sign of things getting worse to come, thus pointing out the severity in the possibility that this Gathering of Twilight that Leomon mentioned may be far more serious than we first thought. It's like the arrival of Raven's father produced some sort of domino effect on the globe, resulting in a steady rate of increases in paranormal activity, but what concerned us is this concentrated amount found solely in San Francisco."

The mutants and the Joes then could view upon a rendition of a three-dimensional map of the United States, and though there were many pinpoints of light scattering across the lands and surrounding bodies of water, it was immediately noticeable that a large, blotted mass was centered right in northern California, specifically the Bay Area.

"We checked, but there isn't a single city all over the globe that has such an uncharacteristic and condensed reading as much as this city. So chances are, if this telltale reading has such a strong presence in this city, and it consists of the same telltale energy that afflicted Supergirl, somebody must be building up something big over there."

"And by common deduction, it's most likely the Hellfire Club since they were the ones behind the Phoenix Force that bonded with you and Supergirl and the Armageddon that Trigon caused," Jean guessed.

"And if that much energy is being built up in San Francisco, then it may be something big, possibly the next step on the Organization's plans to bring in the Gathering," Scott added, catching on and nodding his agreement. It did make sense.

"Still, what if it's a trap?" Rogue pointed out, "I doubt the Hellfire Club's really gonna be doing something like this unless they wanted it to act as some sort of lure to bring us over to the city."

"As much as I hate to admit it, my dear sister does have a point," Wanda grumbled, "But Rogue, we have to keep in mind that we don't _have_ any other possible leads. And if we don't act soon and wait around, Supergirl might get even worse. If this **is **a trap, we'll just have to deal with it the best we can and see if we can't catch them slightly off-guard. And it's too much of a risk to _not_ take this lead. At least if it is a trap and the Hellfire Club sends out something to fight us, at least it'll force them to play out their strategy, and we'll be able to see what exactly they have against us.

"Remy get it," Gambit nodded, "It's sort of like forcing them to show all their cards in their hand at poker. In order for a _homme_ to anticipate whether to draw or fold, they need to see whether the opponent exchanges any cards or keeps them all with him or show what the highest card they have is. So what the Hellfire Club does with their move once we get to San Francisco should let us know how much we'll be dealing with."

"Exactly," Batgirl nodded, and Bobby's head perked up.

"Hey, San Fran's not too far away from L.A. Maybe we could see Jubilee again as a short visit before we reach the Bay Area! I've been dying to see how she's doing!" Bobby remarked.

"See?" hissed Lina at Fred in a whisper, "I _told_ you Bobby isn't interested in me. We're just friends, so honestly Blob, try not to be so hostile around him. I'm sure he just wants to be friends with you if you let him!"

Blob frowned to himself, grumbling, but neither Lina nor Fred had any idea that Bobby overheard that clandestine remark with a smug, cunning look on his face. To be frankly honest, it wasn't that difficult to throw Lina and Fred off-guard.

"Absolutely not, Iceman," Roadblock shot down none too gently, "This isn't a vacation or a time to be goofing off."

"We can't stop for any detours anyway," Lina provided gently to Bobby, feeling sorry for Iceman, "Since this is a mission, General Hawk isn't going to appreciate it if the Misfits wasted time when we should be trying to investigate. And this is going to take all of us since San Francisco is an enormous area."

"Wait, you're _all_ going?" Kurt asked with slightly widened eyes, and Fred nodded.

"Since this is an investigation that may explain what's going on with this Thirteenth Order and could be a possible lead to the Hellfire Club, it makes sense that all the Misfits and our parents need to tackle this for the Joes' purposes. Not only does General Hawk know that this stuff's urgent, we can't waste away time by only having some of the Misfits go while everyone else just stays and twiddles their thumbs," Fred said.

"It's a number one rule about the Misfits from now ever since Trinity has proven that they can handle themselves in deep battle," Althea explained, "Unless agreed by the Joes and General Hawk, every mission will require **all** the Misfits and Misfit handlers, minus Claudius and Beak since they're too young. And speaking of which, Alfred, I know this is last minute, but -"

"Of course, Ms. Delgado, I shall start right away to watch the two babies as soon as one of your teammates could be so kind as to teleport me back to Misfit Manor. I just finished picking up and dusting the Institute and the kitchen has been appropriately stocked with the groceries I had ordered, I might add," the butler said with a smile. Althea smiled thankfully for the godsend.

"And I'll go to San Francisco too, albeit separately from all of you and for different reasons," General Hawk added, and the Professor and some of his students looked up in slight surprise.

"Whatever for?" Xavier asked.

"When Batgirl mentioned that this may be some sort of magical occurrence, I thought of some associates in San Francisco who could be of some help," the general of G.I. Joe confessed, and Barbara raised an eyebrow.

"Funny that you should mention that," she said, "Batman left as soon as Supergirl was put into the coma, saying that he also knew of some acquaintances that could help us."

General Hawk raised an eyebrow; he could make a good guess of where the Dark Knight was heading…

"I'll teleport over there via the Mass Device as soon as this meeting is done and see if I can catch up with him then," Hawk replied.

Batgirl then added as she turned to the X-Men and Misfits, "And this time, I'll accompany all of you on this . Since the Justice League can't dedicate all their time on this mission considering that they all have their own agendas, I was accepted to be the liaison for Batman. Not only will I be scouting for the Justice League's behalf, but I'm doing this because I want to help out Kara too. I can't join you during the daytime because of my job under my secret identity, but I will arrive with the teleporter watch Trinity gave me during the night as soon as I can, and I'll watch from the shadows. Like I said, I have a personal stake in this because of Supergirl."

"You know, are you sure you and Supergirl never tried a little experimentation for 'playing on the other team', if you get my drift?" Pietro asked rather rudely and inappropriately, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at the masked girl with a perverted smile on his face. Batgirl's eye twitched ever so slightly.

"So who will go with you to San Francisco?" Jean asked the Joes as Pietro curled into a fetal position on the floor, hugging his groin area where Barbara kneed him swiftly.

"Duh, isn't it obvious?" Forge grinned with much pleasure and excitement, "If all the Misfits are going, then all the X-Men are gonna come along too! San Fran's a big city, so we're all needed! Just like what we did back at Jump City!"

"**Absolutely not!** Only a designated team of X-Men shall go on this mission this time!" Ororo and Hank said at once sharply, cutting everyone's anticipation down. This, understandably, did not suit well with many, especially the New Mutants.

"**WHAT?** Why not? That's not fair! I wanna go! We can handle it! We're X-Men too! This bites!" rang some of the protests in the general hubbub, and Logan, now getting incredibly annoyed at the displays of immaturity, drew out his adamantium claws with a curdling _shikt_. The dissent immediately dropped into a respectful and slightly intimidated silence. Hank then tried to speak to the students in a calm voice.

"Kids, keep in mind that though all of your help could be greatly appreciated to help us scour for the source in San Francisco, we cannot risk that for it would be a greater liability to leave the X-Mansion unguarded, especially with so many of our enemies banding together against us. With our invaluable files of Cerebro and the information we gathered from the Joes and the Justice League for the past months, it would be disastrous and certainly unwanted to allow our foes the opportunity to attack the Institute and raid it. Additionally, it makes sense to not leave our home and base unattended, especially since we would certainly not put it past the Hellfire Club and their associates that they would try to infiltrate the mansion if we all went to San Francisco."

"I agree, and the Professor and I have already discussed it," Storm announced, "The team shall be myself, Logan, Charles, Jean, Scott, Forge, Kitty, Kurt, Rogue, Rina, Bobby, and Roberto."

"**YES! Woo-hoo!** Hubba-hubba-yes! Hubba-hubba-yes! Hubba-hubba-hubba-hubba-yes-yes-yes!" Roberto cheered, pumping his fist up and down in elation at the prospect of being chosen to participate in some action, instantly forgetting his initial weariness. Ray was none too happy.

"Hey, no fair! How come **he** gets to go?" Bezerker protested, conveniently forgetting that when Live Wire attacked the X-Mansion, he was chosen over Roberto to pursue after her.

"I am sorry, Raymond, but we cannot take all of you like we did on our last trip to Jump City, and as such you must stay behind to guard the mansion along with Hank and Jake."

"Jake, c'mon! Say somethin'! Let us come too!" Sam begged the kat instructor, partly because being on a mission could excuse him for a day or two from doing probation. All of the kids and the staff knew that if there was ever a teacher of the Institute who would always side with the teens and argue for their case, it would be Jake. So they could imagine the disappointment when the kat shook his head.

"Sorry, I'm with Storm on this one," the kat apologized.

"And before the rest of you whom are staying behind in the Mansion even start planning it, for your information, Jake has already put the Aquain in alpha-lockdown in the hangar, and I have taken the liberty to confiscate every duplicate of the coded keys to my person," Xavier finished in a stern yet slightly smug voice, and to the students' shock, the X-Men leader held up high enough for everyone to view the only seven metallic keys with electronic encrypted codes to the X-Men's tank-submarine in the Professor's hand.

"_Merde!_ He's good," whistled Remy, despite himself, as the rest of the teenagers started sulking.

"Either we're getting lazier, or the Professor's getting smarter," Jamie grumbled, pouting.

"Sorry, kitten, but we can't chance this one again," Jake murmured apologetically, ruffling Multiple's hair brotherly with a paw, "Ever since the fiasco at the Bayville Commons when Live Wire attacked, we're not going to leave any more opportunities for you kids to go sneaking off. And besides, it's not so bad. I'll be staying behind as well."

"Looks like it's me and you teaming up again, huh, Kitty?" Lance offered innocently, a small smile on his face as he looked at the valley girl. Though she was hesitant, Kitty did return the look with a small friendly smile of her own. Lance, despite still feeling depressed that Kitty chose Piotr over him, found some solace at that he and Kitty could hang out for a little while as friends, especially without Colossus there. Not that he would try anything demeaning and underhanded of course; unfortunately, Piotr didn't see that.

"_Hey!_" Piotr protested, "Professor, please, let me come along as well!"

Xavier was stern but slightly sensitive; he was no fool in exactly why Piotr wanted to come along to the scouting expedition.

"I am sorry Peter, but our decision remains final. If the Mansion is attacked while we are gone, you could be a valuable asset in preventing the intruders from gaining much ground with your abilities, and your previous experience would be a large help in keeping everyone safe."

"But I don't want to leave Kitty alone with the likes of **him**!" Piotr raged, pointing directly at Lance without any tact or courteous subtlety.

"Peter, like stop it! Don't be so mean!" Kitty hissed, but Lance' eyes immediately turned cold with anger and affront.

"And what's that supposed to mean, Russkie?" Lance growled.

"Exactly what you think it means, Rockhead!" Piotr snapped back, "I'm not going to leave Kitty alone in some strange city where you'll try to take advantage of her or try to convince her to dump me and come back to you again! If you think I'll leave my girlfriend alone with you for even a second, you're a lot stupider than I first thought!"

"That's a low accusation, Metal-Muscles!"

"Well, it's pretty apparent you're capable of anything after what you did to your adopted parents when they - !" Piotr began, but Lance snapped as he let Piotr have it with a flying right hook, and this, unsurprisingly and quite painfully, led to another brawl between the X-Man and Misfit as they wrestled on the floor, swearing and punching each other, while Hank, Spirit, and some of the others tried to break them up.

"There goes my table…and my ceiling," groaned Professor Xavier as one of Lance's tremors shook the X-Mansion, causing noticeable cracks in the foundation and smooth, curved surface of the roof above them.

"I shall call the contractors before I leave for the Pit, Mr. Xavier," Alfred said smoothly as something expensive crashed and shattered in the background. Batgirl turned wearily to Kurt.

"Does _every_ meeting you X-Men have always end up with something breaking, something exploding, or some fight? Green Lantern told me what happened the last time he was here with Flash," Batgirl asked, deadpanned.

Kurt shrugged as he said, "You get used to it eventually. And if you really wanted to see some chaos, Batgirl, you should have been here when the love-triangle was going on strong and when the Misfits came to bug us every day during breakfast and dinner."

"I wish the Misfits never existed," groaned Scott as he held his head, half-sobbing in pain to the ceiling, "I **really** wish the Misfits never existed! Is that too much to ask for? Really God, is that really such a bad prayer?"

---

At the same time, over at the headquarters of the San Francisco Police Department in the downtown area, past eleven at night…

Inspector Sheridan wearily rubbed her eyes as she finished looking over one of the numerous files she had on the Halliwells and the cases that had possible links to them in her private office, her blond hair scraggily wafting down her neck and shoulders, offering slight irritation at the hours of toil she spent in preparing her evidence to provide for the agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that was arriving first thing in the morning. That was why she was meticulously examining each and every sentence, eyewitness testimony, and factoid in every sheet of paper; Sheridan wanted everything to be as clear as day and perfect when she could make her case and get the approval and permission she needed to take those Halliwell bitches down once and for all.

_Damn them, damn each and every one of the three sisters…_

Oh, she was no fool, and she knew perfectly well that Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were directly involved with everything she went through, those six weeks in the mental hospital, those periods of having a blank slate of memories, her life being tampered with. Inspector Sheridan knew that those law-breakers would pay dearly for how they violated her and her life, how they tortured her and put her through weeks and weeks of hell all because she was trying to uphold the law and bring the sisters to justice for all the trouble and innocents they damaged in their activities.

Though she had absolutely no proof that they were violent and immoral criminals, Sheridan didn't need any physical evidence to tell her gut feeling that the sisters were a blight on the community and thus, needed to be stopped once and for all. If she only had proof, something credible, something indisputable and that could show those pompous fools who mocked her "paranoia"…

_Damn you Morris_, she thought immediately of her former partner, Darryl. Oh, it was so obvious he knew more than what he was letting on, that he knew to the precise detail what the sisters were capable of and what they were doing. But did he ever grace her with the truth? No. When Sheridan first met Inspector Darryl, she wanted to build a relationship of trust, of professional friendship. Had he been in danger, Sheridan would have gladly stepped into the line of battle to fight for him and any other honest officer who was trying to make the world a better place. And yet did he defend Sheridan? Did he stand by while she was ridiculed and reprimanded for her screw-ups and wasting time on an insignificant family of sisters? Did he at least tell her the truth under the condition that she keep it a secret?

Hell, no.

Morris didn't trust her, didn't care of what happened to her as long as the Halliwell sisters were safe. She was willingly sacrificed as a scapegoat while the three women were spared from the consequences of their actions, not even caring the slightest bit that she was shoved into the crossfire and took the hits and ill-fated blows. Inspector Sheridan then knew that Piper, Phoebe, and Paige Halliwell had to pay dearly before they could force other innocent people to pay for the sisters' mistakes.

Suddenly, the door to her office opened up, and the blond, athletic woman looked up to see a slightly chubby yet broad man with balding reddish hair cut in a crew-cut and in a suit enter into the office.

"You Inspector Sheridan?" the man asked. Sheridan's suspicion perked a bit, keeping in mind of her spare gun that she kept in her drawer of her desk.

"Yeah. Who are you?" she asked warily. The man took out a badge that identified him as an agent from Homeland Security, the same agency that sent Agent Brody before he "mysteriously" disappeared. Still, despite the agent being from the F.B.I., after what she had been though, Inspector Sheridan was less than reluctant to trust anyone with a badge, not sure if this man was who he claimed to be.

"Agent Keyes, Homeland Security. You called, didn't you?"

"Yes," Sheridan replied, putting away her file, showing some courtesy for the agent who responded to her calls, "Yes, I just was not expecting you until tomorrow."

"Let's just say I was anxious to hear what you had to say," Agent Keyes replied, crossing his arms over his chest, and Inspector Sheridan forced herself to quickly file through her presentation of her files she acquired and tabulated on the Halliwell family. But first things first…

"All right, what do you know about what happened to your Agent Brody?" Sheridan asked coolly, one hand on her hip.

"You tell me," Keyes replied, and the look on his face let the blonde officer know that he was in no mood for debating and bartering.

_Going for "quid pro quo", you slick asshole?_ Sheridan thought to herself, but she decided to make her case and go along for now.

"He disappeared, and I think I know who knows why ... the same people who probably know what happened to three other cops who were either killed or mysteriously disappeared in the past seven years: Inspectors Trudeau, Rodriguez, and Davidson. Then there are all the civilian cases, including one of their own sisters, Prue Halliwell."

She expected Agent Keyes to show some interest in her suspicions, especially since this concerned one of his missing agents, but instead, Inspector Sheridan was slightly taken aback to see that the federal agent was completely unimpressed.

"That's it?" he asked disdainfully, as if being shown nothing more than common gibberish, and the statement was actually very insulting as Sheridan straightened out her back as an angry response. All her hard work, all her planning, all her careful investigations and detective work…dismissed as circumstantial? Who the hell did this guy think he was?

"'_That's it?_'! **Are you kidding me!** Do you need more?" the woman snapped, her blue eyes blazing and her cheeks blushing. Agent Keyes just looked at her expectantly. Apparently, yes.

All right, fine, if Keyes was going to play that card…

"Okay, how about I think they tried to make me disappear, too? They put me in a coma, tried to get me to forget what I knew about them," Sheridan stated in a cool tone, though simmering, as she reached for another file on the record of her incarceration, but Agent Keyes next words stunned her.

"Actually, Brody's the one who put you in the coma, on my orders."

The file dropped from her fingers as she immediately thought of the gun in her drawer.

"**_What?"_** Sheridan demanded, her anger now bubbling dangerously, multiplying. Agent Keyes, however, didn't show the slightest indication that this little blot from his past bothered him in the slightest.

Agent Keyes explained in a formal voice, "We knew they knew you were onto them. We didn't want you messing up our investigation."

Sheridan immediately jumped at full attention, her eyes now orbs of ice as she raged at the federal agent. As much as she realized that this supported her suspicions about the Halliwells, all she could really process was that Agent Brody acted on the F.B.I.'s orders to shove her aside.

"How dare you? You had no right to do that to me, you bastard!" Sheridan yelled roughly. Agent Keyes held up a hand in a show of appeasement.

"Easy, Inspector. This is bigger than you think, all right? Much bigger. Besides, I am here, aren't I?"

"What, with Brody's tranquilizer gun?" Sheridan retorted maliciously, her muscles ready to do whatever it took if Agent Keyes was going to try to attack her.

"No, with answers, the ones you've been looking for."

Sheridan stopped and looked at the man in front of her. As much as her common sense was screaming against it, her curiosity got the better of her, and this_ was_ the windfall she had been praying and working for so long. As much as she now disliked Agent Keyes, Inspector Sheridan wanted the truth even more, and her professional etiquette kicked in.

"Okay, I'm listening," she said, her arms crossed, waiting for the return of _quid pro quo_.

"Do you believe in the supernatural and the paranormal, Inspector? That there may be forces, powers that exist beyond our own?" Agent Keyes asked in a slightly condescending tone of voice.

As irritated as Inspector Sheridan was at the agent's attitude, she raised an eyebrow in slight confusing and morbid interest. What did _that_ have anything to do with the Halliwell sisters?

Then for the past two hours, Agent Keyes explained everything he and his agency had gathered via intelligence reports on the Halliwell sisters, and despite being past one in the morning, Sheridan listened with rapt attention and increasing interest, the pieces of everything strange she had remembered and witnessed starting to fall into place. She learned how Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were descendants from a long line of witches and Wiccans dating back to the Salem Witch Trials. She learned how they were supposedly "The Power of Three" and had magical abilities to fight demons and ghosts and anything of the like, and San Francisco was apparently filled with such supernatural activity. She also learned of the history, of the scant yet solid evidence Keyes and the Department of Homeland Security had collected on the powers and spells of each sister, on their familiars and guardian angels called Whitelighters, and how that despite popular belief, magic really did exist.

Sheridan was silent, stony, as Keyes finished his story. As much as she was trying to look for another reason or rationale to explain those mysterious occurrences and events all around the city and around the Halliwell sisters…it made sense. It truly made sense. And it made her all the more triumphant and eager to take the Charmed Ones down. Agent Keyes then said that unfortunately, the bureau had no completely incriminating evidence other than scientific findings and lab results and various but unreliable eyewitness testimony. Thus, Keyes planned on organizing a small covert sting to catch the Halliwells in the act of using their powers.

This brought Sheridan to full attention.

"Then let me do it," Sheridan said automatically.

Agent Keyes shook his head vehemently as he said heatedly, "No need, Inspector. I'll just call A.G. and circumvent any legal need to get a warrant. I'll declare the Halliwells as terrorists, as enemies of the state…anything to expose them and prove who they really are. Regardless of them being witches or aliens or mutants, this is a federal case now. I have better trained agents who can handle this…and frankly, ones who do not have a personal vendetta against the Halliwell sisters."

It was then that Sheridan slammed her hand on the desk, frustrated and completely irritated.

"Look when this is all over, you can do whatever you want: lock them up in a lab and study them, dissect them, leave them to rot in a special cell…I don't give a shit. But I've been screwed over and hindered by the Halliwells long enough, and I'll be damned if I don't take part in the chance to take those three down after everything they put me through and after they made a mockery of the San Francisco Police Force, our city's finest honorable men and women. You think I have some sort of personal vendetta against them? Well you're right. I'm sick of how they have been able to infiltrate and coerce the weak-minded like Officer Morris to join in their little vigilante group to undermine our authority. I'm angry of how those little cunts cost the lives of good, honest officers like Inspectors Trudeau, Rodriguez, and Davidson in their escapades with no regards for innocent people. I'm outraged how they have no remorse at all the innocents that have been caught in the crossfire of their games and ruckus! And I'm pissed at how they have made a mockery of the very law we uphold and embarrassed me in front of all my superiors! Those Halliwells started it! So let _me_ be the one to finish it! **Let me be the one to expose them for the monsters they really are**."

The blond haired woman of steel grit emphasized this last sentence with sharp, cold ice-pricks, indicating that she wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

Agent Keyes just looked at her, his face betraying his better judgment.

---

"Piper! Paige! Leo!" Phoebe called out rather breathlessly as she hurried in through the front door of Halliwell Manor, the short-haired brunette slightly breathless from the nervousness and anxiety swimming around her heart and head as she literally stampeded into the house.

Leo, sporting a nice three o'clock shadow, clambered down the stairs as Piper and Paige emerged from the kitchen, bottling potions.

Leo whispered ferociously, "Phoebe, calm down and be quiet! I just put Chris and Wyatt to sleep!"

Paige, however, noticed Phoebe's agitation, and her heart suddenly sank as she realized that this wasn't good news, as she worriedly brushed aside her brown bangs off her pale forehead, asking, "What happened?"

"Darryl just called me when I got off work from the Bay Mirror."

Piper's forehead crinkled as she asked, "Darryl? I thought he was going on vacation with Sheila."

"He called to warn me before he left. He won't be able to help us because he has to think of protecting his family, but he got wind that Inspector Sheridan had requested the help and assistance of the F.B.I. to investigate us. Darryl's not sure when the agents are supposed to come, but he thinks that we should get a heads up because this could be big trouble. Sheridan's still trying to investigate us, and to make things worse…tonight, I had another premonition while I was working. **_The_** premonition…" Phoebe revealed breathlessly.

Leo cursed under his breath while Paige's eyes widened as she nervously clenched the bottom of her shirt, twisting the fabric between her fingers. Piper felt absolutely cold as she recalled past warnings from the other Whitelighters and Phoebe about what would potentially happen if the magical world would ever be exposed. Such a thing caused Prue's death, and she would be damned if she wouldn't do everything above and beyond her power to prevent it. And not to mention that Leo, Piper, and Paige knew exactly what vision of clairvoyance Phoebe was referring to.

Experiment 666…

Piper immediately and wordlessly headed for the stairs and the attic where the Book of Shadows was kept securely and safely in the Halliwell household. Meanwhile, Paige, Leo, and Phoebe were hurriedly and fretfully arguing and discussing in a heated debate.

"Are you sure?" Leo asked.

"Yes, Leo, and this really scares me! You know my powers show acute visions and images of what could come! But I don't see anything except that void of blackness and some disembodied, dead voice that says it is coming! And even if we do deal with that, it's not going to help us deal with Sheridan," Phoebe retorted.

"Maybe we could ask the Elders to allow us to turn back time," Paige suggested hopefully, but Leo shot that down.

"The Elders would never allow that," Leo said, "They are already distrustful of us ever since we helped the Avatars, and Gideon will especially be dead set against us. And without them or their permission to use memory dust or turn back time, we won't be able to do anything. And turning back time won't prevent Sheridan from still having her suspicions and vendettas against us, especially since Darryl said that we've been under her reservations and qualms for quite a while, and the Elders would **never** grant our request to turn back events just to prevent a woman from having doubts about us. Magic won't solve everything, especially in this case."

"We could make it so that somehow make it so she never existed. Or we could place a spell on her to drop her off the face of the Earth," Paige suggested.

"**Absolutely not!**" Phoebe and Leo shouted, nearly bellowing, aghast at the youngest sister's coldness and willingness to an act that was almost as horrific as murder, and Paige heatedly argued back.

"Oh, come on! It's not like I'm the only one who thought of that, and it's not like we're killing her or going against the Wiccan code our family blessed us with and - !"

Yet suddenly, the eldest Halliwell sister stopped abruptly in front of them as they entered the attic, and Leo, Paige, and Phoebe unexpectedly collided into the back of Piper, caught off guard.

"Piper, what's going - ?" but Paige's voice died in her throat when she, Leo and Phoebe looked up to see what exactly caused the eldest sister to stop dead in her tracks. There, gathered around their attic, waiting patiently in the snug and cozy room and blocking their way to the Book of Shadows was a trio of familiar men.

It was Batman, General Hawk, and Elder Gideon. A member from the Justice League, G.I. Joe, and the Whitelighters each. All of them were patiently waiting for the Halliwells with solemn expressions of dire need or (in Gideon's case) evident displeasure.

"Batman?" Paige gasped in shock.

"Gideon…" Leo hissed with bitterness as he narrowed his eyes at the Whitelighter elder.

"General Hawk?" Phoebe blurted out.

To any outsider, this would have been excellent fodder for a joke, but Piper was anything but amused. Piper felt the heat rise and dissipated from her body as she gave all of the uninvited guests the evil eye, and it was apparent that she didn't know which one of the three she wanted to see the least.

"_What the hell are you three doing here?_" she asked with cold brevity and an icy glare, her body still as ice.

**Author's Notes: Well, another chapter gone, and in the next chapter, "Biding Consequences of Refusal", we will actually learn some of the back story as to why Piper is especially displeased to see Batman and General Hawk, but events are set into motion as the Slayers, the Misfits, and the X-Men gather in San Francisco, especially with Zankou and the Hellfire Club! Until next Friday, read, enjoy, and review if you'd like! Constructive criticism welcome!**


	3. Biding Consequences of Refusal

**CHAPTER 3: Biding Consequences of Refusal**

"You have a lot of nerve showing your faces here again!" snapped Piper, her hands on her hips and her eyes flashing dangerously before she growled, "Get out. All of you. **Get out.**"

"I would advise you to remember who you are talking to, Piper," Gideon said in a formally aloof tone as his face furrowed slightly at the disrespect, "Understand that I am still the Elder of Elders, and as such, what I say, you had better pay attention to as you would to any Whitelighter."

Leo then felt the urge to tackle Gideon and pound his face in as he groused with malice, "Not any more we do, Gideon. There's no way in hell we'd still listen to you, not after how you tried to kill Wyatt before."

Gideon's voice actually got a bit smug as he emphasized, "Keep in mind that that was your suspicions, but you could never _prove_ it to the Council of Immortals, and as such, none of them could find any hint of truth that I had anything to do with the past demon attacks that targeted your son. And let me also remind you, Leo, that I have absolutely no motive to ever harm Wyatt, especially since he is protected by the Halliwell bloodline, but the demons, naturally, had the shortsighted goals of trying to entice a child of Whitelighter and witch blood into their ranks and evil societies. So really, I'm quite offended that you think I, a respected immortal elder, would stoop as so low as to be willing to murder an innocent child just because of his bloodline. As long as you fail to show proof of such accusations, I'd advise you to hold still and accept your exile from the Whitelighters gracefully, Leo."

_Probably because of the fact that you magically hid your tracks so well so we couldn't link it directly to you, you asshole_, Paige thought angrily to herself as she glared hatefully at Elder Gideon alongside Leo. She loved Wyatt as much as her own son, and Paige, like Leo and her sisters, had suspicions about Gideon being involved in the past threats against Wyatt's life. And it infuriated her that they could never find concrete evidence, physically or magically, that could tie him to it.

General Hawk was having similar dark thoughts as he stared poisonously at the Whitelighter Elder, his gaze dripping with scornful disgust. He didn't forget the incident with Justin, Blind Master, and the Dinosaucers, but he wrathfully kept quiet, for Justin's safety and for the Dinosaucers' anonymity. He was no fool in not knowing how the Charmed Ones, especially Piper and Leo, would feel about Justin's heritage, and he already decided to kept mum about that tidbit unless absolutely necessary.

Phoebe was stony as she crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive maneuver and just looked at the three men gathered in the attic. She certainly didn't know what she was feeling, but confusion, fear, worry, annoyance was definitely among them. And she could secretly admit she was concerned for Batman and General Hawk as well. Whatever it was, it must have been dire; General Hawk and Batman usually didn't come popping in unless it was extremely urgent, and this was the first time the G.I. Joe general and the Justice League member had ever shown up in their house, unannounced. In fact, Phoebe could count the number of times they both approached the Charmed Ones with one hand (due to Piper's stubbornness and unwillingness to welcome them). And like any good witch, if they were the only ones who could help, then they should at least help for the sake of virtue and goodness. And she got the feeling that this time, she would probably have to play the role of peacekeeper and the devil's advocate like the typical middle sibling should things get ugly between Piper and the guests.

And Phoebe wasn't going to be disappointed. Piper's temper wasn't going away as she repeated her earlier command more insistently.

"Fine, Gideon can stay and tells us whatever bullshit he needs to before he leaves as soon as possible," she griped bitterly before she turned her attention to General Hawk and Batman, "But **you** two are entirely different altogether. I thought I made it clear the last time. Whatever it is, we're not interested, so get the hell out and leave us alone."

Phoebe immediately reprimanded her older sister as she said calmly, "Piper, let them speak. We owe them that right."

"We don't owe them anything, especially after what the Batman did to all of us!" Leo snapped.

"Leo, he's still a good guy and we can trust him! Geez, what crawled up your butt? Batman and General Hawk are our allies and they've done favors for us when we needed them!" Paige broke in, obviously favoring the side of the visitors. The masked vigilante then decided to begin before this could break out into a heated argument and that could sideline Supergirl's recent troubles.

"We have a situation with the Justice League - " Batman began, but the eldest Halliwell sister cut him down ruthlessly, not even listening for the entire discussion.

"_Get out_," Piper repeated again even more forcefully.

General Hawk said with some simmering patience, "Piper, listen to what the Batman needs to tell you."

Yet Piper then had enough as she could see that words weren't going to get the desired effect she wanted.

"Get out, or I'll blast you," Piper said in a low voice, and she raised her left hand in a threatening manner up to her shoulder level. Paige and Phoebe looked shocked at the fact that Piper would be so willing to use her powers of molecular combustion on Batman and the general. Leo didn't say anything to object. Hawk looked a little taken aback, but Batman did not even bat an eye.

"You won't use your powers on us, Piper," Batman said simply, his body still as a foreboding statue.

"And how the hell are you so sure?" Piper snapped, her eyes narrowed. The Dark Knight of Gotham easily stared down at the woman.

"Despite your anger, you would never use your powers on an innocent, not if it can be helped. And regardless of how much you hate me, it's not enough to actually have you try to smite me into millions of pieces. What you have just said was an empty threat."

After gazing directly in Batman's stony face for several seconds, Piper's hand quivered a bit before it fell limply against her thigh. Piper's eyes were still blazing, but they were a bit misty as well, as if she was embarrassed that the Batman could look into her mind and soul with hardly any effort.

_Damn, he's good_, Piper thought to herself with some bitter ire.

"Oh, and I suppose you're such an expert on hate and bitterness and tragedy, aren't you?" Leo snarled mockingly. Batman stared long and hard at Piper's husband (and Paige shivered under the death glare) before he answered simply.

"I am."

General Hawk then stepped in as he explained delicately, "Piper, one of the members of the Justice League is in trouble…"

And with that, the Charmed Ones, Leo, and Elder Gideon listened to General Hawk as the G.I. Joe officer then described how Supergirl was under a magical spell and couldn't be awakened from her coma, and how Hawkgirl had determined it was a powerful curse since it managed to overcome the alien girl despite the fragment of the Phoenix Force inside the extraterrestrial's soul. Then, as some additional background information, Hawk illustrated briefly about what they knew about the Phoenix Force and the arrival of Trigon, the Demon Lord who sired the Teen Titan, Raven. Phoebe and Paige looked absolutely stricken with shock when the tale was finished, and Phoebe's face paled. Gideon frowned at Batman and Hawk as if he was inwardly debating whether or not to believe such outrageous stories, but being an Immortal Elder allowed him to take into account that there was some kernel of truth to their suspicions. Leo was conflicted. Piper just angrily huffed as she brushed out some strands of hair from her face.

"**And that's it!** You want us to come and help you out with your troubles after everything we've gone through thanks to you two? You want us to come running like some hired lap-dogs? Even after all the so-called magical associates you have like Dr. Fate and Etrigan? **No way in hell.** We're not helping you with your messes and having ourselves get dragged in to whatever enemies have a grudge against the Joes or the League, and the last thing we need are Cobra soldiers invading our home and the Joker trying to kill us. We've heard what you said, and here's our answer: **_no_**. Now get the hell out!" Piper barked.

"Piper! This is serious! Supergirl's life may be in danger!" Paige argued.

"And it's no trouble of ours, Paige! We are not obligated to save everyone, and they can handle this emergency themselves! This is _hardly_ what I'd call life-threatening! And if they're so desperate, why the hell aren't their friends around to try to break the enchantment on Supergirl?" Piper shouted.

Batman spoke in a barbed, restrained voice, though one could tell he was close to being angry as he explained, "We cannot contact Dr. Fate and Etrigan because they left for another mystical dimension to search for any new clues that may explain an incoming end of the world that may be coming to Earth if we cannot stop it due to the Hellfire Club's interference. As such, all the mages and wizards we know who could be powerful enough to break the spell on Supergirl are gone because they're busy trying to find clues to - "

"The Gathering of Twilight?" Phoebe finished for the Batman in a small voice inadvertently, and then she let out a gasp as she placed her hands over her mouth, still disbelieving that she just blurted it out without even thinking. She didn't mean to reveal that she knew it, but after the stress of work and the toll of fear over her recent visions, it was perfectly natural. Piper and Leo whipped their heads sharply at the middle sister, glaring. Paige looked uncomfortable. Gideon looked rather perturbed. Batman, not surprisingly, showed no emotion in his face as if he already knew (and it wouldn't have been a surprise if he did), but Hawk raised an eyebrow at the sudden discovery that Phoebe knew what had been troubling the X-Men, the Misfits, and the Joes for quite a while. The Joe soldier then remembered that Phoebe's recent powers allowed her to foresee the future, like a seer.

"How long have you been having visions regarding the Gathering of Twilight, Phoebe?" Hawk asked gently, letting Phoebe know that they could handle the truth and that there was no resentment in the fact that she and the other sisters have been hiding it.

"Don't tell him," Leo ordered in a forceful voice. Phoebe looked torn between loyalty to her family and telling Hawk and Batman what they needed to know, especially since Phoebe, unlike Piper and Leo, knew deep down that the Gathering was something truly awful if her premonitions and powers were trying to warn them of it. Paige then tossed caution to the winds.

Paige bit her lip before she stepped forward and said, "For the past week, General Hawk."

Hawk and Batman felt their worry perk up a bit; that was about around the same time the Armageddon caused by Trigon's arrival blighted the world…

"Paige!" Piper and Leo exclaimed angrily with gall and betrayal, but Phoebe then temporarily sided with the youngest sister as she then opened her mouth.

"Piper, if it is the end of the world we're talking about, then I think protecting the Earth is more important that keeping up your vendettas and resentment against them!" Phoebe snapped before she then said in a calm voice, "Yes, Paige is right, General Hawk. I've had premonitions for the past week about the Gathering, but they're troubling in that they're not normal visions in which I usually have. Whatever they are, I can tell you of two things I know: the Gathering is somehow linked to something called 'Experiment 666' and that the only thing I can see in my visions is a voice in a sea of darkness telling me, quote, 'It is coming'. In fact, shortly before you arrived, I had the second vision of the experiment an hour or so ago."

"It is coming?" Batman repeated, frowning.

"Experiment 666?" Hawk repeated as well. Neither of those could be called good signs of the near future, and the term "666" was the mark of the satanic beast in the Book of Revelations in the Bible. Add that to the fact that they were linked to the Gathering of Twilight and the recent Armageddon and fiasco with the Phoenix Force, and it was enough to make the G.I. Joe general worry.

Apparently, the web of deceit from the Hellfire Club was deeper and more intricate than they ever imagined.

Gideon just took this all in, silent and inconspicuous, but Piper was now quite eager to have Batman and General Hawk leave immediately as she persistently pushed, "All right, that's enough and you both have worn out your welcomes here at the manor, so get out! Both of you. You know more than you need to, and we're not helping you with Supergirl. Whatever issues you have with whatever nutcase and psychopath you has a grudge against you, we want no part of it."

"Your sister, Prudence, wouldn't have wanted you to turn your back so heartlessly on something such as this, Piper," Batman said quite harshly. But that proved absolutely the worst thing Batman could say as Piper swelled up like a frog, her face now a dangerous mixture of scarlet and purple, her body quivering.

"Oh, you did not just say that," she hissed lowly, "That's rich, coming from a two-faced bastard like you, to lecture me about how Prue would have felt. You have absolutely no shame and guilt in what you did to us, do you? Or else you would have realized how much of a low blow that was, you cowardly - !"

"Piper, that's enough!" Phoebe said strongly, placing a restraining hand on Piper's upper arm in an attempt to soothe her sister, "I don't blame Batman for what happened!"

"**But I do!**" yelled Piper, now close to being overwhelmed with anger as she ripped her arm out of Phoebe's grip before whirling on Batman and Hawk as a by-victim of her pain and fury. Paige was now thoroughly lost as she witnessed this; she was the only one who had no idea what Piper and Phoebe were referring to.

"Um…can someone help me out here?" she quipped half-heatedly, "Anyone care to explain what the heck is going on between Piper and Batman?"

Leo then spoke bitterly, "Do you remember the High Lord Ascension, Paige?"

Paige gave her brother-in-law a deadpanned look of disbelief as she snorted through her nose. Of course she remembered the High Lord Ascension from several years ago. A group of immortal mutants that referred themselves as the Externals were committing a demonic and unholy ritual on Earth in the mystical planes that was sort of an initiation to become Ruler and Lord over the Earth, a chance for the demigods to fight and gain the title of the entire planet. Had it succeeded, the ruling External would have plunged the Earth in a century of darkness and death, governing it with an iron fist, and causing many to suffer and perish as the Earth would be shaped in the Chosen External's image. That was why it was named the High Lord Ascension; it was a chance for an evil immortal to become a god. And the Charmed Ones intervened because two of the Externals, Absalom and Selene, kidnapped Wyatt because they needed the blood of a newborn babe of two worlds to be prepared as a sacrifice for the ceremony, and Batman, along with the wizard, Dr. Fate, and the demon, Etrigan, led the Charmed Ones along (for the three were on a coinciding mission to stop the Ascension) and they helped vanquish the evil tyrants, nearly killing all the Externals on that fateful battle. If it wasn't for the Charmed Ones' Wicca connection to the spirit of Gaia, Earth's life force, and their spells to vanquish all sorts of terrible entities, Batman, Etrigan, and Dr. Fate would have never won that war. **(See Author's Notes)**

Paige nodded. So Leo continued begrudgingly while Piper and Phoebe remained respectfully silent.

"Batman lied to us and actually manipulated us to help him stop the Ascension," Leo said acidly, and Paige frowned at the apparent lie.

"Leo, how can you accuse Batman of such a thing?" she demanded, incensed, "We chose to fight the Externals at the Ascension because Selene and Absalom kidnapped Wyatt and were planning to kill him for the ritual! Batman didn't trick us to come along with him and the others! We chose to come to save Piper's baby!"

Leo then asked, "Do you remember the External named Ra's Al Ghul? The one who was also at the Ascension and who tried fighting hand-to-hand combat with Phoebe and Batman?"

Paige then remembered, the black-and-white haired man, suave and refined, yet as cunning and dangerous and intellectual as any of their foes they had ever faced before. Phoebe nearly lost her life at the hands of Ra's Al Ghul. Batman then spoke as he clarified the reason free from Leo's personal bitterness and bias.

"Ra's Al Ghul was not an External, Piper," Batman stated forlornly, "He was a madman who is centuries old due to his eternal youth and vigor he gained from being immersed into the Lazarus Pits, and as brilliant and noble as he seemed, he was bent on re-shaping the world into his vision of a earthly paradise, a balance between man and nature, if you will. That was the reason he attended the Ascension, so that he could gain the power of to be the God and Ruler over Earth and cleanse it into the perfect haven he so insanely believes in, but what he didn't know that for the Externals not chosen as the Lord, they would be killed and obliterated, and Ra's daughter, Talia, knew of this and tried to warn her father of the dangers. Yet he didn't listen and went anyway and that was why he was there when we tried to stop the ritual and save Wyatt."

"So why are we bringing this up?" Paige asked, frowning and realizing there was something queer about how everyone was acting about this, "And what does this have to do with what's going on now? You killed him at the Ascension - "

"No, I didn't kill him. I spared him and helped him escape during the confusion when the mystical planes collapsed upon itself and destroyed the temple of the High Lord. I told you and the sisters that at first until Talia let me know that Ra's was safe and in her care," Batman interrupted. Paige's mouth dropped open in shock as her eyes went wide.

"You…you **_helped_** him? But…**_but why?_** And what does Ra's has to do with us?" Paige gasped, so Batman then continued.

"Ra's Al Ghul was obsessed with maintaining a balance of earth, purifying it of the human race who he believed to be a disfigurement upon the planet and its resources, and he was infatuated with the idea of using mass genocide to achieve these plans. The thing is that in the past, he usually used biological means such as world-wide pandemics or the Lazarus Pits to try to achieve his goals, but back then, I had been able to stop him. Then one time, several years ago before you reunited with your sisters, Paige, Ra's tried using magic and powers of the mystic to try to destroy all magical forces that he believed to be leeching off the spirit of the Gaia force like parasites, so he created demons and satanic beings and abominations as assassins to kill all witches and anything remotely magical, for in his insane mind, he believed magic was not natural and had no place in his version of a new haven. And if you recall correctly, Wicca harnesses the spirit of the Earth to be channeled through witches for white magic, so many Wiccans fell victim to Ra's assassins. One of these demons was the wind spirit you vanquished on your first time as a Charmed One and the one who helped you discover that you were half-Whitelighter. It was the Shax demon, Paige."

Paige gasped as the memories came to her.

"So the Shax demon, the wind spirit that killed Prue and brought you guys to discover that I was your half-sister…?" gasped Paige, her face going paler than normal.

"It was the same demon that Ra's Al Ghul summoned as one of his insane plans to cleanse the world of magic. And Batman **_knew_** of it **_before_** he asked us to help him at the Ascension! **And he didn't tell us until it was too late to do anything about it!**" Piper said with final, grave accusation as she almost spat this last sentence at the masked vigilante. Batman was still displaying his game visage, and Piper wanted nothing more than to march over there and slap him hard in the face.

Batman said without the slightest indication of remorse, "If I told you beforehand, you would have been less concerned with stopping the Ascension and saving the world and more dedicated to getting revenge on Ra's for the inadvertent murder of your eldest sister, and it additionally would have been risking your son's life in the process. I couldn't afford to have your vengeance get in way of the purpose of saving the world from the Externals, and Dr. Fate and Etrigan agreed with me on this."

"We had every right to know that since Prue was our sister! That son of a bitch killed her and hundreds of other innocent witches, all in the name of cleansing the Earth from magical 'blights'! And you **_protected_** him once we stopped the Externals! You had no right to do that! That self-righteous creep killed our sister!" Piper raged.

"And keep in mind, I had to keep that promise to protect him for Talia's sake," returned Batman evenly, "If it wasn't for Talia to give me the location of the Ascension, Dr. Fate and Etrigan would have never been able to find the Externals and Wyatt would be dead."

"We know that," Leo put in coldly, "Phoebe had a premonition about Talia bargaining with you to spare her father if she helped you find out where the Externals were holding the Ascension."

"But why did you even promise to Ra's daughter in the first place?" Paige exclaimed with disbelief.

Phoebe then answered slowly, "Um…well, we learned that before in the past…Batman and Talia were…romantically involved and had feelings for one another."

It was funny how that one sentence summed it all up.

"Wait a minute," Paige butted in rather befuddled, "Okay, am I the only one confused here or something? Ra's Al Ghul is a bad guy, and yet the Batman spared him because he and Ra's daughter had a romantic past? And he's one of your most dangerous nemeses and has tried to kill you and commit worldwide genocide multiple times, and yet you spared him because this Talia requested you to?"

Batman looked at her disapprovingly for summarizing it so loosely and crudely, but he didn't contradict the youngest sister. He said, "It's complicated, Paige."

"With **you**, things usually are," Leo commented insultingly.

"And you call yourself a hero," accused Piper hotly, "You protected a man who committed murder and tried to doom the entire world! Your parents must be proud if they knew that their son would grow up to be some hypocritical hood!"

"Killing Ra's Al Ghul wouldn't have brought your sister back, Piper," Batman said evenly, though one could tell that he was starting to get angry. Though it was really not of Piper's fault that she said that last shot; she had no idea about Batman's childhood or his secret identity.

"And that was exactly the same thing** I** said, Piper!" Phoebe broke in as she scolded her sister with her hands on her hips angrily, "Yes, I understand where you're coming from, Piper! Don't forget that I lost Prue too and that I was also angry with Batman when we first found out, but Batman had good reasons to hide that from us at that time frame! I don't agree with them, certainly, but I can see why he would do it! And Prue would have wanted us to save the world and not risk it for her sake of getting retribution for her death! Besides, Batman told us in the end eventually after we stopped Selene, Ra's, and the other Externals!"

"And he manipulated you in the process to fight a battle that wasn't yours, need I remind you," Leo highlighted flatly. Paige had a myriad of emotions and thoughts running through her head, and she didn't know what to feel as she looked at Batman. She was shocked yes, but she couldn't honestly confess that she hated him like Piper did…

"So why come here? What makes you think we can do anything?" Phoebe then asked, trying to change the subject and getting back to the issue at hand.

"Because you three are one of the most powerful forces of magic known to man," General Hawk said, "In fact, we're willing to believe you just as powerful as Dr. Fate and Dr. Strange. And additionally, we began sensing a strange and abnormal build-up of magical energy in San Francisco, much more so than normally found in the city despite your numerous demonic activities. Not only could it be related to the Gathering of Twilight and the events with Trigon and the Phoenix Force, but it could mean that the Hellfire Club has their agents here in the city, and as such, you all may be in terrible danger."

"The Hellfire Club?" Phoebe asked.

"They're sort of like the Externals, except a better simile would be that they are a mutant version of the Illuminati, rich, influential in both mutant and human society, and want nothing more than the conquest of the world for mutant superiority. And Selene is a prominent member in the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club," Hawk said.

"Selene?" gasped Paige, "The same External who kidnapped Wyatt for the Ascension?"

Batman nodded.

"Which is exactly why we **won't** help you with Supergirl, Batman," Piper snapped, "You think I'm stupid enough to help you heal her and somehow invoke the wrath of whatever nut-job out there that has a grudge against the Justice League? To give this Hellfire Club even more reason to come after us while you just abandon us to handle our new messes you helped cause! Thanks to assisting you out at the Ascension, we're now the targets of Selene, government officials, and God knows who else out there who knows about the Power of Three! We don't need any more megalomaniacs to view us as their next victims, and if Selene is here in the city, she'll think twice before trying to mess with us again."

General Hawk then stepped in, trying to reason with the livid brunette.

"Piper, if you're worried about the safety of your sisters and your family, the offer I made to you in the past still stands as of now. G.I. Joe would be willing to protect you and your family in any way we can," Hawk reminded Piper.

Piper whirled on Hawk before she replied, "And the problem with that offer is that there would usually be a string attached, and after what happened before with Batman, I'm not willing to risk that…or trust you and the other soldiers from G.I. Joe for that matter."

"You don't speak for _all_ of us, Piper," Paige highlighted flatly.

Hawk then said rather sternly, "You know G.I. Joe better than that, Piper. We don't use others at their expense."

Phoebe then played the devil advocate again as she murmured with some reluctance, "General Hawk…as much as I can sympathize with your plight and that we know you are an inherently noble person, we can't risk that. We have lives now, people who depend on us. We're now mothers and aunts, we have lives outside of being the Charmed Ones, some semblance of normalcy that provides us some peace of…well, being human for a change. And you should know how much we want to try to hide the magical world as much as possible. Charles Xavier of the X-Men did the same thing to his school and mutant-kind for exactly the same causes and fears, and look what happened! If the general public ever discovered that there were such things as sorcerers, witches, Wicca, demons, warlocks, and anything magical, they would treat them with the same loathing and hate that mutants received when they were outed. Don't you understand? There have been too many close calls already with others and with Inspector Sheridan. We can't risk it now, especially since Wyatt and Chris would be caught in the battle."

Hawk frowned as he scolded slightly, "That still isn't justification for leaving Supergirl to suffer in a coma nor at least help us out with whatever information you can gather about the Gathering to come, Ms. Halliwell. As I said before, G.I. Joe can keep secrets when needed."

"Like how you kept the Charmed Ones a secret with General Bragg when he threatened to send all of us to be experimented on at the Initiative when we didn't do what he wanted?" Piper retorted, her voice now frigidly accusing and on edge, "Like how the Wolfram and Hart firm somehow mysteriously gained personal information about Wyatt and Chris after we refused Bragg's 'requests' to help us enchant demons and coerce them into the Initiative's assassins? Let me point out, Hawk, that there is a **big** difference between G.I. Joe keeping us secret from the general public and keep us secret from those associated indirectly with you on a much more personal level."

Hawk blinked, for once at a loss for words. Piper did have a point; Bragg wasn't the only one in the government and military who wanted to manipulate the Charmed Ones' powers for their own goals and uses. And he wouldn't have surprised if it had been Bragg who told Wolfram and Hart about the Charmed Ones (and chances are, Hawk would have been right). Batman frowned.

"General Bragg?" he asked in his deep husky voice, "The same one who was behind the isle, Moreausseau?"

General Hawk nodded wordlessly. Meanwhile, Paige was now furiously trying to argue with Piper, and it was pretty clear that despite what she was told, the witch already made her decision to support the two.

"Piper, what harm could it possibly do if we just look at Supergirl and try to help her recover?" Paige retorted crossly.

"As much as I would hate to sidetrack you three sisters," Gideon commented rather snidely and distantly (The Charmed Ones and Leo nearly forgot that he was even there), "I can tell you right now that the Elders will not allow this, and that we would have to agree with Piper in that Batman and General Hawk can get themselves out of this mess for themselves. They have absolutely no right to request your help."

"Back off, Gideon! We don't need your defense!" Leo snapped.

"I assure you, Leo, that it was entirely not for your benefit, but for the fact that the Whitelighters need the Charmed Ones here to guard the city and protect the Nexus. As much as I am loathe to admit it, I cannot risk endangering the sisters on hackneyed, superficial missions and delusional attempts of heroism," Gideon shot back.

"The…Nexus?" queried General Hawk, repeating the word with some confusion, but Gideon ignored the general. Paige, not surprisingly, was not satisfied with this act of espousal from the Elder Whitelighter.

"Gideon! That's not fair to them or Supergirl! So you're forbidding us from doing what we were meant to do, to help and protect innocents from dark magic, warlocks, and demons?" protested Paige.

Phoebe then remembered something.

The middle Halliwell sister then offered helpfully, "General Hawk, if you need help with Supergirl, then why not ask the Whitelighters to help heal her? We might not be allowed to do anything, but I'm sure some Elders like Sandra would be happy to help."

"I assure you, Phoebe, that we have no inclination of helping out a piddling group of delusional and overly violent mortals," Gideon muttered, and Batman had an inkling of emotional anger underneath his steely, stony façade of coldness. And Phoebe was just as irritated.

"Gideon, a person's life is in danger," she protested with some outrage, "If you won't let us intervene and help her, then you should at least do the honorable thing and help out Batman and the Justice League."

"Frankly, I'm with Gideon on this one, as much I hate to agree with him on **_anything_**," Piper commented coldly.

"Still, Hawk can request their help considering that he still holds the Oath of Abraham over Gideon, and the Whitelighters still owe him a debt since he hasn't used it yet," Phoebe retorted a bit put off, her hands on her hips. Hawk's face froze at this statement. The Charmed Ones didn't know that he already used the Oath of Abraham, and as such, there was no longer any leeway to convince the Elders to help out. Batman, sensing the general's slight discomfort, looked at him from the corner of his eye. Gideon threw the general a slight, surreptitious sneer; as much as he loathed Justin, he did enjoy the fact that the general had inadvertently dug himself into a hole. But there was still no way Gideon would prefer that the Charmed Ones know about the half-breed, yet he knew unfortunately that it would only be a matter of time. Piper then hurriedly rushed the conversation to a hasty and unfulfilling conclusion as she pointed a finger at Batman and Hawk.

"There, you already have our answers, you two," she snarled, "We say no, and the Whitelighters say no, and unless you're willing to use to Oath of Abraham to coerce and force the Whitelighters to help heal Supergirl, there is nothing more that needs to be said here. **Now leave!**"

General Hawk looked like he was going to argue, but Batman placed a gloved hand on his shoulder and shook his head. He knew better than to push it, and a bit reluctant and disappointed all the same, General Hawk activated the teleporter watch Trinity lent to him, and the two men teleported out of Halliwell Manor via the Mass Device and back to the Watchtower in Earth's orbit.

General Hawk then asked Batman with some confusion, "Why did you give up so easily? We still needed to try and make the Charmed Ones understand the dangers the Hellfire Club poses to them, and we still have no way to help Supergirl. And we may need to find out whatever this Nexus is, especially since I've got a gut feeling that might be the thing the Hellfire Club - "

"I already know exactly about the Nexus, General," Batman said quietly.

General Hawk raised an eyebrow in surprised amusement, immediately shutting up and speechless. So the Charmed Ones and Leo told Batman beforehand the meeting…

"I'm surprised the Charmed Ones and the Whitelighters were willing to tell you," he remarked.

"They _didn't_, and I know they wouldn't, Hawk, so I found the information on my own thanks to some of our associates beforehand," Batman emphasized brusquely.

General Hawk gave Batman a look that was exasperated, deadpanned, and favorable all at the same time. He said to the Dark Knight with some sardonic subtlety, "And yet you never wondered why Piper was especially resentful and mistrustful towards you."

"Feelings of mistrust and resentment from Piper, I can live with. It's not doing everything I can to make sure the sisters and their family are safe and that the Nexus is protected that I _wouldn't_ be able to live with," Batman said shortly before he left down the hallway. Hawk, despite himself, felt some slight appreciation for Batman's constant vigilance and to-the-point rationale.

After all, Batman was not an emotional man.

Meanwhile, back at the house of the Halliwells, Piper just stared long and hard at the spot where Batman and General Hawk vanished from the attic, her expression blank and her mouth pursued in a thin line. Leo, sensing that Piper wasn't going to say anything, turned in a hostile manner to Gideon, his teeth and voice on edge as he griped, "Say what you need to and leave Gideon before you stay here in our house any longer than necessary."

"Trust me, Leo, that the feeling is certainly _more_ than mutual," Gideon sneered before he continued in a grave voice, "And I'm here to warn you that the Council and the Whitelighters have been sensing huge sources of dark auras and presences in San Francisco, almost multiplying by ten-fold! No doubt that Zankou is still attempting to steal the Nexus again. I'm here to warn you of such and to keep your guards up, especially since if what General Hawk says is true about Selene being more and more prominent in her role in the recent maladies that have afflicted Earth. She will then be after the Nexus should she ever discover the possibilities it could bequeath to her."

"We can handle her and Zankou just fine, Gideon," Paige retorted dryly, but Gideon looked at Paige rather snobbishly, and it was clear that he thought of Paige even less than the other Halliwells because of the fact that she was half-Whitelighter.

"Regardless of your past…endeavors, the Whitelighters are less than hesitant to entrust the safety of the Nexus to you three, especially after your betrayals by siding with the Avatars, so I warn you sisters of this: if you fail to protect the Nexus, then you must destroy it. It's certainly better if the evil forces do not gain possession of it once it is completely banished from all our reaches."

"But if the Nexus is destroyed, the forces of good won't be able to have access to it as well!" protested Phoebe. Gideon looked at her without much remorse, and it was clear that this decision had been thoroughly discussed, debated and wrestled with among the other Immortal elders.

"It is a risk we all must take. Fight as best as you can, and if you fail, destroy the Nexus with the spell, 'To Banish The Suxen', the one found in your Book of Shadows," the goateed man said.

"Suxen?" Phoebe repeated, unfamiliar with the tern, but Leo then gracefully explained it for everyone to understand.

"The tern '_suxen_' is '_nexus_' spelled backwards…"

Gideon then emphasized rather harshly, "However, if you all fail and the Nexus is gained by the forces of Zankou or Selene or anything else possibly worse, then the Charmed Ones will suffer the consequences greatly for it will be on all of your heads. Of course, after your past sordid and disappointing histories, I really cannot say I would expect much else."

And with that, Elder Gideon orbed away under the four indignant glares. Paige then rounded on Piper immediately when the Elder Whitelighter left.

"Why didn't you tell me about the Shax and how it was sent by Ra's Al Ghul! Why did you keep it from me? I had to learn it from Batman of all people!" she shouted.

"Because it wasn't your concern, Paige!" snapped Piper as she whirled her head back up and went toe-to-toe with her younger sister, "And the last thing we need is you to get more involved with the Batman, especially since I don't approve of it!"

"And I **_want_** to help them! It's the right thing to do! And you know it!" Paige shouted.

"And what I say goes! I'm the eldest sister, so I have the most weight in my decision!" Piper heatedly argued.

"Oh, don't even try pulling that crap on us!" Paige snapped, "It's called Power of Three for a reason, Piper, not the Power of One! Phoebe, don't just stand there! Who's side are you on?"

Phoebe then broke in as she stepped in between the two, saying strongly, "Will you two stop? There's no sides to be taken here, and fighting isn't going to make things any better or safer for all of us! Piper…I understand where you're coming from, and I've felt those exact same feelings before. But we can't just turn our backs on Batman and General Hawk because it would lead us into more dangers if we did help them. And regardless, I agree with Paige in that the Batman and G.I. Joe are good people, and that I would trust them."

Piper then became quite ugly and beastly as she then, out of her frustration of her two younger siblings teaming up against her, said with the intention to hurt, "Oh, I'd be the last one to talk about being a good judge of character, Phoebe, especially since you fell in love with Cole and betrayed us to be his Queen! The fact that you so easily abandoned us for a demon comes to of no surprise that you'd give a rat's ass about Wyatt and Chris' safeties!"

Phoebe was absolutely stunned as she looked at Piper as if she slapped her in the face (except the slap would have been less grievous). Without a word, Phoebe stalked off, half-running, out of the attic and down the stairs, out of sight, but Paige, Piper, and Leo could hear the middle Halliwell slam her bedroom door shut as a final response. Paige gave Piper a look of blame.

"Nice one, Piper," she retorted disdainfully, sarcastic, "And I don't give a rat's ass about what you think! I'm still going to try to find a way to help Supergirl!"

"Don't start, Paige," Leo growled.

"If you go behind my back and help them, **then you do it alone**. And I won't come to help bail you out of trouble like you always do whenever you rush into something without thinking," Piper fumed at Paige, seething.

Paige's eyes went snowy as her red lips went into a thin line, her nostrils white. She was absolutely livid now.

"Fine," she said distantly.

And with a small, gentle noise, the youngest sister orbed away in a cloud of white and blue faint auras of angelic light. Leo then looked at his wife as she placed a trembling hand over her mouth, her strength spent as she tried to collect herself, her face flushed and her eyes pricking.

_I will not cry, I will not cry, I have to be strong…_

She kept thinking those thoughts over and over her head like a mantra as she felt Leo gently envelop his arms around her and squeezed gently, feeling his chin nuzzling on her scalp.

"Piper, it's okay, it's okay…" he shushed in a gentle, warm voice, trying to prevent his wife from breaking into millions of pieces.

"Why can't they see it?" Piper whispered, "Why can't they see I just don't want them to be killed, that I don't want them to risk their lives over other people's fights? That I don't want to give up whatever we have left of a normal life to go fight other people's enemies? That I want all of us to be around to raise Wyatt and Chris?"

As Piper continued being held by Leo, neither of them noticed that the building tension and resentment between the family members was starting to disentangle and unweave the centuries of magical wards on the Book of Shadows, the triquetra symbol on the leather cover tingling to disband altogether. Though it was a miniscule rift between the sisters…it was growing.

---

"Flight 882 now boarding passengers…" a cherry woman's voice rang over the intercom at the San Francisco Airport, but Jubilee took no notice of the flight attendant as she made her way off the terminal for her domestic flight and towards the center of the base, ready to check through security. Al she carried was a little knapsack over her shoulder, and thankfully, because of the crowd, no one noticed the girl nor recognized her as a student from the infamous Xavier's school of the Gifted. With her shades hiding her sleep-deprived eyes and her baseball cap covering her hair, Jubilee had absolutely no trouble as she made her way through the throngs and throngs of people minding their own business.

Which made it all the better for Jubilee to think and contemplate her revenge on Phoebe Halliwell. Oh, it was so surprisingly easy. After managing to grab a change of clothes from her school locker, she immediately ran away and out of sight of the police who immediately came investigating the scene of her burnt house and the dead corpses of her parents. She at first contemplated calling Professor Xavier, but then in the end decided against that. Not only would they dissuade her from trying to get revenge on the bitch who sent the vampire who killed her mother and father (even if they believed it), but also, Wolverine and the other X-Men would try to help her fight the Halliwells.

And that was something Jubilee did not want. When she made Phoebe pay for what she did to her family, she would do it alone and without risking the X-Men to fight her own battle. And for her own satisfaction of evening the score and to avenge her dead parents.

Yet as Jubilee passed the International terminal, she didn't see a group of odd figures coming out of the gate belonging to the flight from London…

Andrew was literally giddy with excitement as he kept jabbering endlessly in a high-pitched voice of eagerness and childlike anticipation as he danced and twittered around like a hyperactive swallow, all the meanwhile saying, "Oooh, I can't wait to go downtown and look for a good comic book shop! I think they have the next installment of the _Naruto_ collections! Oh, and I have to see when the next collectable figurines of Mr. Spock come in! And I could see if some of the malls have the 'Grenade of the Gods' magic card I need for my Dungeons and Dragons set! And maybe after I take some pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge, we can go for a mocha frappuccino at Coffee Bean! I haven't mad one in months! Hey, do you think maybe the '_Super Smash Bros. Melee_' tournament is being held here in San Fran? I could try playing as Zelda, but if the competition's tough, maybe I can use Mr. Game and Watch instead since he's got better physical attacks, even though he's really a short-range characters and pretty slow and - !"

"My God, can't he _ever_ shut up?" hissed Caridad to herself and to the Slayers next to her as they witnessed Andrew as the boy continued to rather shamelessly act like a complete, blabbering buffoon. She, like the other girls, was starting to develop of huge migraine from the fact that the flight from London to San Francisco took about eleven hours, and throughout every tedious minute, the Watcher-in-training did not stop even for a moment. He droned on and on about the most mundane things: pets, water currents, stories of King Arthur, whether _Star Trek_ was better than _Star Wars_, Japanese origami, which comic book superhero could beat up Freddy Krueger…

"Andrew…" Wood sighed, biting his tongue with extreme patience, "_Please_ control yourself. We're not on a vacation, we're on an investigation mission."

"Remind me again **why** we couldn't have just 'conveniently' left him behind?" Vi asked Caridad.

Caridad replied in a tired voice, hoping that the next gift shop they came to in the airport sold aspirin, valium, a gun or duct tape (_any_ one of those four items would have been useful), "Because Willow and Kennedy stick up for Andrew and say that if he's ever to be a future Watcher, he needs to take his training with Giles and Wood to the next level and start doing some of the practical duties. And Willow threatened that if we tried to make Andrew miserable during this trip, she and Giles will 'volunteer' us to be Andrew's playmates the next time he does a six-hour Dungeons and Dragons game."

"Suddenly, enduring his talking doesn't seem so bad after all," Vi muttered, doing an about-face in her opinion as she shivered slightly at the thought of Dungeons and Dragons with Andrew, her multicolored beret hanging haphazardly on her hair.

"Feel bad for Chao-Ahn," Rona sighed, stretching out her arms above her head while yawning, "To tell you the truth, I still fell kinda bad about 'volunteering' her to take the seat next to Andrew during the flight."

"It was either her or us, Rona," Shannon pointed out. Rona's smile grew even more impish.

"I know. That's why I said I only felt **kinda** bad," the African-American girl emphasized.

"I'm sure Chao-Ahn didn't mind," Wood brushed off casually as he pointed out to the Chinese Slayer, "See? She's smiling. Seems to me the girl actually enjoyed sitting next to Andrew."

The others turned to see that Wood was speaking the truth. Chao-Ahn was grinning, showing all of her teeth, but what they didn't discern was that in Cantonese, she was muttering to herself, "Oh, I am certainly going to make you all pay for sticking me on the seat next to the idiotic and loud-mouthed boy who makes my ears grate."

Rather humorously, the other Slayers, Willow, and Wood seemed quite oblivious at Chao-Ahn's plans for petty vengeance.

"I still think you should have let me eviscerate the little blond twit into pieces and stuff him in one of the suitcases as luggage," muttered Dana darkly as she gave Andrew a glare out of the corner of her eyes, her scarred face marred even more with the malicious frown. Dana then narrowed her eyes and snarled like a wild animal at two young boys who were nearby and gaping rudely at the vertical scars running down her face.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer, you little snot-nosed nincompoops! Now get lost before I gut the both of you and stuff your entrails into your eye sockets!"

The two children squealed with fright when Dana actually advanced several steps towards them menacingly, her teeth bared, and ran off towards their mother, who gave Dana a very disapproving and offended look. Dana then sneered as she flicked off the mother, and the woman's face turned beet-red, half-looking as if she wanted to give Dana a piece of her mind, but the look of deadly caginess in the Slayer's eyes and expression was enough to make the woman change her mind as she whirled around and dragged her sons away. Wood, understanding, placed a calm, warm hand on the girl's tense shoulder.

"Don't try to let others get to you for being quizzical of your scars, Dana," he murmured like a true guardian, "You'll be exposed to this every day you go out in the real world, but you need to keep in mind that most of them mean you no harm. They're just relatively nosy, like all human beings. As long as they don't attack you, try to keep your cool and not bring attention to yourself."

"I **hate** it, the way they make me feel like I'm a freak. I just…I just want to kill each and every person here," Dana hissed murderously, but she relaxed a bit under the comforting touch. Her healing process was slow, but promising.

"And this is better than her old self how exactly?" Rona asked Kennedy, deadpanned. She, like Vi, had reservations about having Dana along, and frankly, Dana's entire hostility and caustic demeanor did little to quell those doubts. Granted, to the other Slayers and Wood, Giles, Xander, and Willow, Dana was cordial and sometimes even social, but to Andrew, she was especially disdainful. In fact, Vi and Rona couldn't recall Dana ever calling Andrew by his first name, and every time Andrew tried to be friendly with Dana, she would respond back with a punch or a sharp insult, calling the blond teenager many varieties of "jackass", "idiot", and the much less cordial monikers that aren't really well suited in print.

Still, Giles and Wood were pleased to see that Andrew, despite the physical and verbal abuse, always remained friendly and patient with Dana (possibly due to the fact that he knew how much people needed second chances).

Then Shannon noticed that Chao-Ahn was a bit agitated as she kept pressing her legs together and hopping a bit anxiously as she looked around wildly in the terminals. Shannon then guessed why the Chinese girl was so restless.

"Um…do you need a bathroom?" Shannon asked in broken and heavily accented Cantonese. Ever since Chao-Ahn was declared to be one of the Slayers chosen for the mission to San Francisco, Shannon and Caridad took it upon themselves to somehow act as translators to the girl from Shanghai, and both Caridad and Shannon studied from Chinese-English dictionaries and listened to "Cantonese - 101" on tape with their Walkmans. This wasn't particularly easy since Shannon was a Caucasian girl from the United States and Caridad was from the Philippines, so Chinese was not something both were somewhat familiar with. Still, by the end of the flight, Shannon and Caridad, with Chao-Ahn instruction, were able to learn a few broken phrases, especially "Get ready for fighting!" and "Behind you!" and "Help me kill it!".

Chao-Ahn nodded gratefully at Shannon's question.

"Why didn't she go during the plane ride?" Willow asked as she too noticed this slight emergency.

"Because she stumbled into the bathroom where Wood and Faith we're doing the…'horizontal mambo' and immediately swore off using the other defiled restrooms on the plane until we landed in San Francisco. Apparently, Wood forgot to lock the bathroom door," Kennedy replied wryly.

"I _thought_ I heard her screaming while I was sleeping…" mused Willow.

Shannon and Caridad made disgusted faces as they looked at Wood and Faith in horror at Kennedy's statement, incredibly repulsed. Faith just had a big, dreamy beam on her face as if she had won the lottery, unashamed, and the brawny Wood just coughed, embarrassed, as he glanced at the floor, unable to look at the Slayers in their eyes.

"Ew!" Shannon exclaimed.

"Thank you, I **_really_** needed that as a mental image right now, Kennedy," grumbled Caridad sarcastically as she winced and rubbed her temples with both hands.

"Oh God, knowing my luck, _I_ probably used the one _they_ did it in!" Rona groaned to herself before she pleaded to Wood and Faith, "Please tell me you didn't use the middle one in the back of the plane, or else I'm going to so seriously need a shower once we get to the hotel!"

Faith grinned in mischievous amusement as she said truthfully, "Nah, Rona, we had sex in the one in the _front_ of the plane on the _left_."

Vi made a face of pure horror before she grimaced.

"Oh God, now **I** need the shower!" the redhead whined, nearly squealing, "**I** used that one!"

Meanwhile, a bit off the distance in the opposite terminal, a lone, heavily and impressively built man with dark skin looked at the arrival of Jubilee emerging through the exit of the San Francisco airport over his shades while covering his observation by pretending to read the _San Francisco Chronicle_ paper. He nodded to himself as he surveyed the scene of the Asian mutant weaving through the crowd. Yes, Zankou would be pleased.

Then the warlock Kahn looked past his target to see a rather unwelcome sight. His heart nearly froze with horror and surprise when he recognized the humans who were quite infamous and very feared throughout the lands of Hell, the name so sinisterly frightful that it was only uttered in coarse whispers from one evil entity to the next.

Slayers…

Kahn cursed to himself. Zankou was **not** going to like this. Upon making sure no one was looking his way, the warlock then shimmered into thin air, the demon teleporting back to the inner sanctum of his master's headquarters in the demon realm. Willow gasped as she felt Kahn shimmer away.

"Willow? Girl, what's wrong?" Faith asked immediately, alarmed as she thought of the stake that she clandestinely hid in her backpack (and airport security never detected it due to Willow's magic).

"Someone was watching us. I could sense it, and not a human. It was a being of dark magic and evil forces," the Wiccan said in a calm manner, yet her voice was slightly rough. Immediately, the other Slayers tensed their muscles as they whirled around and surveyed the airport surroundings with sharp eyes, taking in any possible spaces where a demon or vampire could attack. Unfortunately, all they could see were people. Andrew, not surprisingly, gave a small squeal of fright before he hid behind the built figure of Wood, and the African-American Watcher didn't bother rolling his eyes as he also ushered Dana behind him for her safety. Chao-Ahn, humorously, was still ignorant of the situation.

"You guys, I _really_ have to go!" Chao-Ahn whined in Cantonese, but then Caridad warned urgently in the same language.

"Chao-Ahn, we sense evil!"

The Chinese teenager immediately then forgot her own plight as she stopped and looked around warily in the airport, her eyes scanning as carefully as the other Slayers.

"Are you sure you sensed something Willow?" Shannon asked, "Because I don't feel anything, and you know Slayers can sense evil as well if it's close enough in the vicinity…"

"Whatever it is, it's gone now," Willow frowned, "But it's no coincidence then that I could feel it the minute we entered in the city."

"Cool, then it's a good thing that the baddies were watching us," Faith said evenly though still coiled for anything unpleasant, "If they're runnin' with their tails in between their legs and runnin' scared, then that means that they're afraid whatever big bad's happenin' here in San Fran, we might be just the thing to stop it. And girls, I dunno about you, but I'm always ready for some ass-whoopin'!"

"I get the feeling we may get that chance sooner than we'd like, Faith," Kennedy murmured.

---

"Ah, back so soon, Zankou?" Lord Imperial asked as he and the rest of the Inner Circle looked on as the warlock shimmered into view, using his demonic magic to enter the Hellfire Club's holy sanctum. There, gathered around their lush and priceless and expensive surroundings were Lord Imperial, Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, Selene, Slade the assassin, Lex Luthor, Leland, Pierce, General Eddington, and the demon Blackheart. All of the prestigious members of the organization listened as Zankou made his report.

"The mutant named Jubilee has found her way to San Francisco with thoughts of revenge against the Charmed Ones. My most faithful warrior, Kahn, has sensed her thoughts when he had spotted her at San Francisco Airport."

"Excellent, then everything is going according to plan," Shaw purred, but then Zankou's eyes narrowed in gall.

"No, for I also bring additional bad news of even more meddling fools who could cause troubles for our plans against the Charmed Ones," Zankou said in a simmering tone, as if he wanted nothing better than say _I-told-you-so_ directly to Blackheart and Selene's faces, "Kahn has spotted several familiar figures who are also greatly feared within demon-kind. **_Vampire slayers_ are also in San Francisco!**"

"**_WHAT?_**" roared Shaw automatically in surprised fury as the brandy tumbler in his hands cracked upon the pressure of his clenched hand, shattering into crystal fragments, dripping with expensive alcohol.

There was a dead silence as the members of the Inner Circle just stared with disbelief and dread at the king of warlocks, not sure if they heard right. Luthor was incredibly confused, and rightfully so because he was absolutely ignorant about the mythos of the Slayer. Blackheart then broke the stillness as he contemplated and mulled over what he had just heard.

"**_That is a strange occurrence_**," Blackheart rumbled, "**_I thought only one girl was chosen to be the vampire slayer of her generation…_**"

Luthor's eyes crinkled a bit as he repeated incredulously, "_Girl?_ A vampire slayer? You're telling me a Slayer…**is a girl?**"

Everyone ignored the Black Rook as Shaw explained with some bitterness, "It used to be until the last battle with the First over at the Hellmouth in the city called Sunnydale. Then as a final yet risky resort, the original Slayer decided to use the essence of the Scythe of the Guardians to empower and bless every girl who has the potential to be a future vampire slayer and made them all active Slayers. We thought we would succeed in eliminating all of them when Selene sent Caleb and the Bringers to try to kill all the future Slayers before killing the last two official Slayers, the ones named Buffy Summers and Faith Lehane. Unfortunately, our sources failed when Faith and Buffy managed to gather all the girls who had the fate-chosen potential and shared their powers with them. And thanks to those two happy-go-lucky tramps, now instead of one Slayer being chosen, there are many Slayers being chosen to hold the mantle of the Guardians, and no matter how many we kill, there will always be many more to take their place! The Hellfire Club has calculated that there may be currently _thousands_ of Slayers all over the world! **Thousands!**"

"So they're mutants?" Luthor tried to clarify, and this time, Selene broke in, irritated at the ignorance.

"Slayers are not mutants, Luthor," the Black Queen stated, "They are, in all technical terms, human girls who are given powers of supernatural origin and are chosen by fate to take the responsibility to hunt, kill, and slay all supernatural evil, most specifically vampires, but they have been shown incredibly dangerous against ghosts, werewolves, and witches. It was primarily the opportunity of Buffy's resurrection that prompted me on the First's orders to send Caleb to round up the Bringers to eliminate the Slayer lineage."

"So **you're** the one who taught Caleb about the Slayer mythos and dark magic. I had been wondering about where that misogynistic, preacher-boy reject came from," Eddington remarked.

Selene had a dark look on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest, saying with some ache, "Let's just say the First and I are quite…'familiar' with each other. You could imagine the horror and the dread I felt and imagined when Buffy gained the Scythe of the Guardians and used it to activate the Slayers from all over the world."

"**_And exactly how powerful is the Scythe of the Guardians? The one that is currently in possession of Buffy Summers?_**" Blackheart asked.

"Powerful enough to kill even _me_," hissed Selene worriedly.

"Let me get this straight: the Hellfire Club and its associates…are scared of **_human girls_**?" Luthor demanded in a hard voice dripping with disbelief and disdain.

"Laugh all you want, Luthor," Leland said in a cold voice, brimming with annoyance, "But I assure you that the Hellfire Club has run into the Watchers Council and the Slayers before not too long ago, and we also made the mistake of underestimating them."

"Why haven't you kept watch over their activity then? And for that matter, why didn't you try simple cloning of samples of Buffy and Faith's DNA to breed our own Slayers? Hamilton would have been willing to try," Luthor asked presumptuously, and Pierce and Leland had to seethe at the mocking tone of voice.

Leland then growled, "Don't think we haven't thought of that, Luthor. Our scientists and our associates at the former Initiative tried cloning several skin and blood samples we have been able to extract from the two main Slayers at the time, but unfortunately, we found out much to our disappointment that science and magic can only go so far. Even though many clones spawned from the DNA we collected, not a single one of them could harness the powers of the Slayer! Even now with so many being activated, none of the doppelgangers were gifted by the hand of Fate to take up the mantle additionally, despite the darkest magic Selene used on them!"

"**_And the Organization cannot achieve this as well even if we wished to,_**" Blackheart grumbled, "**_Keep in mind Luthor that the Slayer legacy is chosen only by Fate itself, and as such, it is a common medium in all life that no one can manipulate, not even the Thirteenth Order._**"

"And because of so many failed experiments, we were forced to abandon our plans with trying to manipulate the Slayers," Lord Imperial finished, "Not only did our tests prove unfruitful, but we lost track of them once the Hellmouth to Sunnydale had been destroyed, and thanks to the persistence of that meddling fool, Rupert Giles, the Slayers were hidden from our best efforts, hiding away through magical spells and clandestine covers that not even Selene and Emma Frost could penetrate with magic and telepathy. So we left them alone thinking that once the Gathering came, we would no longer be troubled by them…until now, that is."

Pierce was still extremely annoyed and troubled at the news, however.

"Well this is certainly wonderful!" griped the White Bishop with bitter sarcasm, "Now not only do we have to be wary of the Joes, the Misfits, the X-Men, the Justice League, the Titans, and the Charmed Ones, we _now_ have to be wary of the Slayers once _they_ stumble into our little chess game with the heroes!"

"It would have been inevitable, Pierce," Slade at last muttered, his brain coming to the distinct conclusion that nothing could be done since the Slayers were not kept under careful surveillance by the Hellfire Club so their arrival was truly a wild card, "With so much activity after the arrival of Trigon and with our plans against the Charmed Ones and the Turok-Han, it would be only rational that the Slayers themselves would start snooping around. Frankly, I'm surprised that they haven't caught on to us sooner."

Still, Slade grinned to himself as he flexed his hand, feeling the muscles in his arms strain.

"However, I must confess I am quite curious to see exactly how well a vampire slayer can fight in battle…"

"I'd put a hold on your desire to expose yourself and fight for now, Slade," Lord Imperial stated, frowning at the masked assassin, "You'll have your chance soon once we succeed in bringing the Gathering to Earth. And keep in mind that General Silver and General Eddington have our little secret weapon thanks to the Cadmus' research…"

"Ah, yes, I have forgotten about **that** experiment," Emma said with a little comfort.

"Could it be enough to kill the Slayers?" Zankou queried.

"We shall have to wait and see," Selene replied with disappointment, "Yet I can say comfortably that she will be able to give them much trouble at the siege."

"I'll inform Generals Silver and Black about this turn of events," Eddington replied with a small, crafty smile of interest, "But Shaw, I can assure you that the Slayers and what's left of their Watchers have many enemies who would be willing for a chance to cut down those overly-violent cunts. General Silver himself expects a lot of soldiers leftover from the Initiative would have no qualms with killing Slayer girls due to their resentment and bitterness at what happened with the Adam project."

"Resentment and bitterness? To _what_ exactly?" Emma asked, a bit curious.

"Do you know how many jealous officials in the governments all over the world would kill just to get their hands on the powers and abilities of the Slayers themselves? Girls the natural ability to fight anything supernatural and having the instinctive ability to sense any strange aura? Quick healing capabilities? Increased strength, speed, agility, and defensive stats? An entire army of Slayers would be enough to makes any high-ranking military official or any terrorist organizations like Cobra drool. And add to the fact that many of the Initiative's fellow troops are greatly offended and cynical at the fact that only girls can be Slayers who are more powerful and skilled than any of them, despite their years of training…"

Emma nodded, catching on. Eddington then continued.

"We'll be able to find a few zealous supporters on our cause for the Gathering, and don't forget, Wolfram and Hart would be most interested to hear of this development, so we will not be completely caught off-guard should the Slayers enter the Gathering of Twilight. Still, this isn't as bad as we may expect. I can assure you that the Slayers have never once dealt with the Heartless before, so having them here in San Francisco may be a good opportunity to test them out against the might of the Organization."

"For your sake and for ours, you'd better be right, Eddington," spat out Zankou.

"**_We shall find out soon enough…_**" Blackheart said calmly, as if curious to how this move on the chessboard would play out.

**Author's Notes: Yes, the High Lord Ascension is not my idea! It was an actual event that happened in the X-Men comics, but I'm twisting it because I wanted to create a link to Selene and the Hellfire club to the Charmed Ones, not to mention give Batman more importance in this Misfit-universe for Batman is exactly the type of member in the Justice League to be associated with magical entities and demons! And I hope you all enjoyed this chapter because next Friday, in "Bishop Takes Pawn", thing's take a turn for the worse when Faith gets her wish when the Slayers meet with the Charmed Ones, but unfortunately, Sheridan and the X-Men, Misfits, and Joes will complicate matters soon enough! Check back next Friday but until then, read, enjoy and review! Constructive criticism welcome!**


	4. Bishop Takes Pawn

**CHAPTER 4: Bishop Takes Pawn**

It was past ten at the San Francisco television news station, KTSF, and Becky Gibbons was ready to turn in for the day, her shift as the lone secretary at the building. All the other secretaries had left, and her stint was just about done, and though there were still some editors and technicians around, the three-story building of black stone, concrete, and tinted windows was mostly empty, somewhat peaceful and serene as compared to the hustle and bustle, chaos factor that plagued and besieged the employees every day with the hourly drama and gridlock deadlines.

Which was why Becky groaned when the phone on her desk rang right as she was about to reach for her coat and purse. Becky's lips went into a grimaced pout. None of the others were available to take the call, and if she handled it, she would surely miss the next bus to her apartment. Still, if she overlooked a lead, it could result in her losing her head and her job. Most hot tips and callers calling in about newsworthy occurrences hoping to make some quick cash with their footage were nearly an everyday occurrence, but once in a while, the station got a gem of a tip. And Becky herself had lost count of the number of prank calls, idiots who couldn't string two words together but somehow wanted fifteen minutes of fame, or overenthusiastic fans who wanted to see if they could visit the studio to see their favorite TV reporter, but the station always wanted to keep their lines open for that one special informational tidbit.

Hence why the secretaries screened the calls to the station before transferring them, and why there usually needed to be more than one.

Still, Becky was trained to take any call, no matter how late or how mundane it may have seemed, and following her usual protocol (though inwardly cursing at the bad timing), the young woman picked up the receiver and demanded rather irritably, "Hello, KTSF station. How may I help you?"

A few tense seconds went by before Becky brusquely replied, "Mr. Sullivan is busy for the moment, but may I ask who is calling?"

Becky's face went into a deep frown when she was told the identity of the mysterious informant. Though there was a possibility it was valid and he sounded real enough, the employee still had to check…

"Please hold on," Becky said in a somewhat intimidated and breathless voice as she rapidly clicked a few commands on her computers while checking the automated caller I.D. system. In addition to the caller I.D. provided by the telephone company, KTSF had a computer interface that could trace the current phone call's digital signature and automatically locate the point of origin with precise accuracy via an automated addressing program, similar to MapQuest or any other map program on the Internet. Since they needed to trace authenticity of their various sources before taking them seriously, the station's computer phone-tracer system was a wonderful supplement to the secretaries' numerous avalanche of calls.

Becky's eyes lit up in surprise when the computer program displayed the address in less than five seconds, and it too coincided with what the screen interface of the caller-identification apparatus was displaying. And her scant knowledge of such premises made it possible to believe wholeheartedly that it would be difficult for _any_ prankster to call directly from the White House. She then almost felt weak at her knees as it hit her who was on the phone.

"I'll…I'll transfer you to Mr. Sullivan right away. Please, hold."

After shakily pressing the button and placing the receiver back into its proper setting, Becky rushed, breathless and tearing up the two flights of stairs into Geoffrey Sullivan's office on the third floor. Geoffrey was the current head editor for the moment, and it was entirely possible that he would simply ignore the call or not realize the importance of the person phoning into the station. Geoffrey looked incredibly frazzled as he was plowing through a pile of paper on his desk when Becky barged into his glass-paneled office next to the news anchor's studios, and from the look of fatigued irritation on his face, he wasn't in the mood.

"What is it, Becky?" he asked in a deadpanned and restrained voice, but the woman ignored the look of exasperation as she hurriedly explained, panting and her lungs burning from the sprint.

"There's an urgent call for you on Line One, sir!"

Geoffrey's face soured as he heatedly retorted, "Becky, take a message and let it be for me to take care of when I have time, which is something I truly don't have at this point! I have to schedule Warren's meeting with the mayor interview at the last minute, two gaffers have called in sick, and - !"

"But he won't take a message, and he demands to speak with you about a news lead! And you won't believe who it's from! It's from the White House!"

There was a tense silence as Geoffrey took that one fact in, almost stunned beyond comprehension. Never before in Geoffrey's history as leading editor for KTSF has there ever been a call from the White House.

"Who is it?" the editor asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Becky told him, and Geoffrey's face paled a bit as his eyes widened, his breath died in his throat.

"You…you sure? **Him?** **_He's_** calling **_here_**?"

Becky nodded again, almost as if she herself was trying hard to convince herself of the very same fact as she emphasized, "I checked the connection, the caller I.D, and _everything_! It…it really _is_ him…and he's on hold on Line One, sir."

Geoffrey literally jumped for the phone before he lifted the phone next to his ear, the blood ringing, as he asked in a shaky voice of disbelief.

"He-…Hello?"

"Yes, this is Lex Luthor. I have a lead that I think may be quite intriguing and profitable for you and your network, Mr. Sullivan…"

---

Inspector Sheridan strolled alongside of the Halliwell sisters' two-story Victorian house. Though it was late morning and the sun was shining, the San Francisco suburb was unusually quiet, mostly due to the fact that most of the neighborhood were out at work or too pre-occupied with their own routines and matters to take notice of a single, blonde, athletic woman making rounds along the house, and naturally, Sheridan acted so at ease and so relaxed at her work that anyone who actually took the trouble to glance her way simple assumed that she was a welcome guest with Piper, Paige, and Phoebe, especially since she had come over to visit them more than once in the past. Add to the fact that she was doing her work in the manor's backyard, and no one was even vaguely aware of the officer.

Which made Sheridan's job much smoother as she attached another white, miniscule camera to the outside window pane of the first story, positioning the lens to point right into the living room and veranda. It was a perfect fit, and the white camera was the same tone as the rubber layer covering the insulated window frames; only a sharp eye would have been able to locate the apparatus located in the corners. And Agent Keyes said that these cameras were the perfect spy-equipment. Waterproof, could withstand snow and heat from the sun, and were tiny enough to be no thicker than the average human index finger, but the cameras, though small, were powerful enough to run on a tiny battery cell of hydrogen and liquid natural gas. It was the perfect tool. And with their powerful wireless antennas built inside, Agent Keyes said he and his men could receive the signal easily back at the police headquarters, and the live video feed could run for twenty-four hours while his men analyzed and witnessed any incriminating images the cameras would capture.

Though Sheridan was eager in her task, she was a bit bothered and disconcerted that she was feeling a touch of…guilt. The female inspector wanted to persecute and bust the Halliwells by the law, following the rules and regulations she adhered to with a fervent belief of respect. She remembered how much of a stink she raised when Keyes said that they could keep close watch of the witches and their family without a warrant (and contrary to popular belief and to the Criminal Resource Manual of the Department of Justice, surveillance needed no warrant if done from the **outside** of the premises), but Sheridan was against it for she wanted to take legal action and arrest the three on charges legitimately, for the books and by the books. The last thing she wanted to do was damage the very law and terms she swore to uphold, and what infuriated her was that Keyes was not the least bit concerned about bending the law and called her a fool to her face for being so willfully shortsighted.

Yet when Inspector Sheridan took her request to not one but two judges, she (as Keyes so annoyingly predicted) was denied of a search warrant to the Halliwells' manor on grounds that there was not enough evidence to deem them as dangerous, and as such, wiretap and video surveillance inside the sisters' house was completely out of the question. As much as Sheridan hated having egg on her face, she hated it even more when Keyes said in no uncertain terms that he was right in an "I-told-you-so" manner. If they were going to single out the Halliwells and arraign Piper, Phoebe, and Paige as national threats to homeland security, then they would have to overlook the rules for once, and follow the ever-so popular axiom: _the ends justify the means_.

Not that Sheridan was comfortable with it, but Keyes then realized how much of a godsend Inspector Sheridan could be. Not only would she be able to have a greater likelihood of antagonizing the Charmed Ones into using their powers and exposing them, but that she would be perfect for being the fall-guy for any repercussions for bending the law. Had Keyes or any of his agents have attempted to set up the surveillance themselves, it would have greater ramifications since they are part of the federal government and such events could ruin years of their investigations of the three sisters. Yet if Inspector Sheridan did the deed, the outcomes and consequences could be less severe, and it would greatly spare Keyes and his men from taking the brunt of the fall.

Sheridan was not pleased with this (and she was surprised that the federal agent even remarked this bluntly and to her face), but Agent Keyes said that if she wanted to back out, she was more than welcome to, but then she could kiss her chances of being part of what could possibly be the largest sting operation in the United States and not to mention forget being able to satisfy her vendetta against the Halliwells. At least once the secret was made public and the Wiccans were exposed, Sheridan's minor bout with bending the rules would be overlooked, pardoned and be considered irrelevant once the media and government and general public got wind of the sensation that the sisters would cause. Like most juicy news flashes, people forgot the boring and mundane when they focused on the much bigger commotion, such as how the mutant crisis came to be when the world was made aware of the existence of mutants. And Keyes promised Inspector Sheridan that the Department of Homeland Security would lessen the ruckus sent at her (a few members in Congress even owed him favors).

But as much as she was willing to participate, then why did she feel so at unease? Could it be that the thought of exposing the Halliwells wasn't as tantalizing as she first thought, especially when she was compromising her beliefs and integrity for it?

"Oh, get over it," Sheridan muttered heatedly to herself as she attached the last camera to the parlor window, and after calling on her cell-phone to Agent Keyes who confirmed that all the cameras she placed outside the manor were fully working, she went back to her car, now half-eager and half-anxious to see how it would all play out in the end.

---

Two days later…

"Rotten, stupid, two-faced Russkie!" muttered Lance to himself in a feral voice as he, Scarlet Witch, and Xi were walking alongside the streets of San Francisco under the night sky and crisp air from the nearby ocean. All three of them were in their civilian clothing for it would have been too noticeable and drawing if they toured around in their battle uniforms. Unfortunately, Xi always chose to never wear an image inducer, so he and the others were drawing a lot of unsolicited and hostile attention from most of the people that they passed (and add to the fact that the X-Men and the Misfits were infamous worldwide). Wanda had already lost count of how many times she and the other Misfits and Joes had heard that phrase or similar insults for the past two days since they arrived in San Francisco to patrol. It had gotten rather tiresome to the point where Scarlet Witch was wondering if she should have bribed (or threatened) Pietro into doing the patrol round with Lance. Then she remembered that she and Xi drew the short straws this day, so as a result, they were stuck with Avalanche's non-stop grumbling about Piotr.

Xi bit back the sigh he was eager to let out as he pointed out rather blandly, "Lance, at least Peter apologized to you about the remark about your parents when we left."

"That's because Beast and Kitty **made** him apologize, remember? If Kitty didn't hold that threat to cancel their date at Steel City next week, Peter wouldn't have even said it," Wanda retorted, rolling her eyes and wondering if the next store they came across sold any aspirin. The lizard Misfit was still trying to look on the optimistic side.

"A backhanded and forced apology is still an apology," he said, "And besides, I'm sure Peter regrets saying it now that he's had time to think about it. And Peter's definitely had time to think it over since he's cleaning the Danger Room and the Professor's office as part of his probation for wrecking it."

Lance has a gleeful smile of satisfaction on his face for a moment as he chortled, "And I'll treasure the great way the Metal-Head's face turned red when he found out that most of the grown-ups agreed that he started it, and that I'm exempt from the punishment of clean-up duty. And that leaves me a perfect opportunity to try to hang out with Kitty while I can."

Wanda and Xi looked at each other meaningfully with looks of pity and disbelief.

"Trying another hackneyed plan to woo and steal back Shadowcat from Colossus, Lance?" groaned Xi wearily.

Lance gave Xi a very offended look as he said with a disgusted grimace, "Please, what kind of jerk do you take me for? I just…want to be able to spend time with her, even as a friend."

"Suddenly, I _wish_ you were trying to steal Kitty away from Peter because_ that_ response would have been a lot less pathetic than the sentence you _just_ said right now," Wanda said with sardonic apathy, but sincerely wishing that her teammate and friend would manage to keep his pride for once. She wasn't the only Misfit who had similar thoughts of disdain at the fact that Lance was still hooked on Kitty, even though she broke up with him and chose Piotr in the end.

At the same time, around the ocean-side parts of the city, Fred was talking to Dragonfly on his communicator as he walked alongside Shipwreck, Ororo, Bobby, and Scott. They too, like Lance, Wanda, and Xi, were getting unwelcome stares and even some rude gestures and scathing insults, but in the presence of the large and solid Blob, no one was stupid enough to try anything.

"Anything?" Blob asked on his communicator.

"Nothing we can tell, and I'm not detecting anything from above with Jean," Dragonfly answered as she flew in the skies alongside Jean Grey, who was using her telekinesis to hover in midair and guide herself through the atmosphere while using her telepathy to sense anything abnormal.

"Well, San Francisco _is_ a big city," Bobby remarked thoughtfully as the neighboring people watched with awe and discomfort as Storm grabbing Shipwreck in a headlock before pounding his face mercilessly, "And even in two days, we've only covered like what, half the area?"

"Ow, ow, ow!" Shipwreck hollered as Storm tightened her hands around the sailor's throat in an attempt to strangle him, "**OW!** Stormy, I swear! My hand just slipped, that's all! **_OW!_**"

"Well, at least we're making good headway, despite the number of fights and arguments and the times people tried spitting at us for being in public," Scott said in a barbed voice of frustration as, like clockwork, a moody teenager actually spat a huge blob at Scott's sneakers, and the X-Men leader had to seriously fight the urge to run over there and blast or punch the bigoted creep right then and there.

"Still, it is a little tiring, and after how we had it so good with the Teen Titans at Jump City, it's sorta of a letdown to come to San Francisco and go through the gauntlet of anti-mutant sentiments," Fred confessed, understanding why Bobby sounded so disenchanted with the reconnoiter. Still, Iceman managed to grin despite a rather obscene comment made from an elderly lady passing by.

"Well, better here out in a big city and living the life rather than being back at the X-Mansion under watch and doing probation. I'm just so happy I'm not Sam and Ray right now," Bobby chuckled. Fred then decided that it would have been best not to tell him that when he talked with Tabitha and Jamie on the phone from the local army base near San Francisco (where all the Misfits, Joes, and X-Men were rooming when not on scouting duty), they reported that Jake and Hank were helping the students have the time of their lives with nothing but all-you-can-eat pizza dinners, video game tournaments, and Hank and Jake's special school project to build their own spaceship for the X-Men after Trinity helped provide the blueprints for the Misfits' spaceship in return for Jake's plans for the Aquain. And not to mention Hank was allowing the children to run fun simulations in the Danger Room as part of their training such as scenes from the last battle of Middle Earth from _Lord of the Rings_, and Jake was helping Remy, Sam, and Ray with their probation by joining in on the clean-up duty.

It would have been a given that the Professor and Wolverine would not have been wholeheartedly pleased if they found out how Jake and Hank were running the Institute while they were gone.

Meanwhile, as Fred, Bobby, Scott, and the incensed Ororo clobbering Shipwreck ambled on towards the mainland, on the other side of the street, walking in the opposite direction were a familiar group of a Watcher, and Watcher-in-training, and a Slayer…

"Why did you let that dumb geek take a coffee break?" Dana grumbled at Wood as Andrew, oblivious to anything except his own contentment, happily slurped some iced-coffee frappucino, ignoring his teammate's annoyance at his mere existence. Dana was so tempted to use the dagger and stake hidden underneath her coat.

Wood sighed, but explained in his usual baritone and understanding voice, "Because we have already been scouting the city for two days now without any leads, and Andrew said he was thirsty and in the mood for a treat. And besides…he wouldn't stop begging for one unless I caved in, so I went with the option of least resistance. Try not to get too annoyed with Andrew, Dana. He has a lot of potential and his heart's in the right place."

"You should have let me slit his throat like I asked yesterday," Dana muttered before Andrew gave another soft slurp with his straw and she turned on his, exploding, "**_And will you quit drinking so nosily, you techno-nerd? You're annoying me!_**"

Andrew looked a bit put off before he then thought of trying to lighten the Slayer's disposition with his usual cheerful and overenthusiastic demeanor.

"Do you want some mocha frappucino? It always cheers _me_ up!" Andrew asked brightly as he offered the iced concoction for the girl to sip. Dana gave the blond science-fiction fanatic a dark look before she responded in her typical manner towards the fellow Scooby. She made a fist and punched him hard in the stomach. Andrew crouched over, winded and coughing, breathless at the pain in his abdomen, but Wood had to slightly marvel at the fact that Andrew didn't cry as Dana stomped off.

"Drop dead, you little, Mary Poppins knock-off!" the scarred Slayer retorted as she moodily walked away.

"Ow…hurts…ow…a simple no would have sufficed," Andrew squeaked in torment as he rubbed his mid-section, "And I thought she'd like me because I helped find her in Los Angeles."

"She's a bit hard to deal with, but she's gone through a lot since her childhood days, so try not to take her insults and beatings too personally, Andrew. Giles and I both agree that despite what she says about you, it's to be encouraged that you continue to be tolerant and as empathetic as you can, for her benefit and for yours," Wood said.

"I know…but I just want her to see that I only want to be her friend and that I** can** be a future Watcher if I have enough time and training," Andrew whined a bit, remembering all the derisive and contemptuous remarks Dana and a few other Slayers have made about Andrew's chances of being a Watcher to any respectable Slayer.

"Give it time, Andrew," Wood egged on with a smile, "Give it time."

At the same moment, several miles away, Forge and Batgirl were surveying the city from the skyscrapers above, the night sky peppered and broken by the thousand of lights of the buildings nearby. Forge shivered as he wished he brought a thicker and warmer jacket during his observation of the Bay Area. They had been at this for over an hour, and already this was getting dull as the X-Man and the vigilante scanner the night with their infrared binoculars.

"Couldn't you use the Watchtower's sensors to detect where the source of gnarly and far out magical readings you were getting here in the city? It's a major bummer to be sitting on an abandoned rooftop, freezing my butt off at the wind-chill when I could be having a bomb with Hank and Jake back at the mansion," Forge griped.

Batgirl shook her head as she continued to survey the landscape, explaining, "No, because the Watchtower could only go so far as to detect that _the city_ had the abnormal traces of energy similar to those that appeared after Trigon, but our headquarters was unable to detect _which_ part of the city was the epicenter of the supernatural spike. For some reason, we're establishing a lot of interference that hindered us from actually locating the cause, and Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman guessed that San Francisco, though a mostly human city, is a center of many mystical and bizarre occurrences, demonic forces and ghostly activity that is supposedly far greater than a lot of places all over the world. In other words, though we can't see it, paranormal activity is high here, Forge, and as a result, it's drawing a lot of unnatural forces that are somehow blocking the Watchtower's sensors! Trust me on this, Forge: _we tried_. Green Lantern said that he was amazed at how this supposedly unnatural and magical energy is powerful enough to obstruct equipment that can locate a grasshopper on a sidewalk from Earth's orbit, so since this other-worldly magic caused by Trigon's arrival is so prevalent here in San Francisco, we can't pinpoint the exact location on where it's coming from due its disruption. It could be anything, a park, a lake, a house, or even an object such as a tree or a statue, so quit complaining and keep looking Forge!"

While Batgirl was spying on the rooftop with her binoculars, had she looked down on the streets, she would have noticed Rona and Vi actually walking slowly below…

"Whoa, check it out!" Vi gasped with awe as she and Rona spotted Spirit, Low Light, Roberto, Rina, Logan, and Rogue across the street, ignoring and enduring the various taunts and jeers and occasional thrown projectile from the various people they walked by. Rona and Vi both recognized all the members of the group from the countless reports on CNN and other news stations not to mention every periodical and newspaper on the planet.

"C'mon, Vi!" Rona muttered irritably as she tugged at the redhead's arm, but Vi was so enthralled at seeing the X-Men in person, and her blue eyes simply glittered like stars of amazement as she just stopped and stared. And unlike the others surrounding her, Vi looked on without a bit of malice or hate. Rona had to huff angrily and push Vi hard before they could continue walking.

"Oh wow, can you believe it?" Vi exclaimed, "_The X-Men are here!_ The X-Men are here in San Francisco! Oh wow, how cool is that? Xander's gonna be soooooo jealous when he finds out we saw mutant freedom fighters! Hey, maybe they're here to help us fight whatever baddie's here in the city!"

Rona just snorted through her nose as she gave Vi a serious roll of her eyes. Despite being best friends since their early years as Potentials, it was comfortable enough that they could still have their little disagreements and fights without damaging anything.

"More like they're here to cause trouble like they always do with those Misfits and Joes that hang out with them," Rona said bad-naturedly. It wasn't surprising that Rona knew so much about the X-Men, the Misfits, and G.I. Joe. All over the world, there hadn't been a day when the Slayers and the Scoobies hadn't heard, read and watched something about the mutant-crisis that was gripping the world, from the Friends of Humanity and Stryker to Magneto and the Acolytes to the Juggernaut. And it was from these articles of information that the Slayers gained a considerable knowledge about the three teams. Though some such as Xander, Andrew, Faith and Vi clearly supported the X-Men and the Misfits and the G.I. Joes, extolling them as part of the greater good, some such as Giles, Willow, and Wood were neutral at best, if not wary. After all, with evil vampires and warlocks and demons running around the world, the last thing people needed were evil mutants. However, many Slayers, like Rona, had a distinct mistrust and fear of mutantkind, not to the point of bigoted prejudice like the followers of Graydon Creed, but enough to make them uncomfortable if not unwelcome.

Vi seemed a bit offended but she pointed out, "No, I believe the Professor Xavier and that General Hawk when they said that both the Misfits and the X-Men are fighting just to establish peace between mutants and humans, and after what we've seen, it just shows their heroes. Yeah I admit, they have been involved with a lot of craziness and destruction, but considering that they've stood up for innocents before, I'd rather side with them than obvious baddies like Magneto or Cobra."

"Still, I'm not exactly willing to be seen in public with those freaks," admitted Rona sourly.

"Rona! How can you say such a thing?" Vi said, immediately halting right there on the sidewalk as she reprimanded her fellow Slayer with her hands on her hips. The African Slayer held up her hands in defense as she explained calmly.

"Look, I'm just saying handling the fact that vampires, Turok-Han, ghosts, and the First exist was bad enough, but having to deal with mutants too? That's just too much for me to deal with, and frankly, I don't want to. Life's complicated enough as being a Slayer and fighting the First, but if anything, I can live my life just fine without being a mutant-supporter, especially with them being so…weird and dangerous, you know?"

"Oh and being a Slayer is considered normal?" Vi said sardonically with some annoyance.

"Look, just drop it, Vi," Rona exhaled as they continued walking, "We're supposed to be spotting if there's something abnormal here in San Fran, not arguing about mutants and such. And besides, you shouldn't even get your hopes up on this considering that the X-Men aren't the type of people to hang out with strangers outside their circle. I'd **really** doubt we'd be rubbing elbows with the mutants and the Joes any time soon."

Vi had to grumpily concede to that point.

At the heart of the city, Kennedy, Willow, and Faith were running into Chao-Ahn, Caridad, and Shannon back from their expedition from Chinatown, all three of the girls breathless and exhausted from the constant walking and running for the past two days (and Caridad swore she had several blisters on her foot now).

"Anything?" Kennedy asked, but Shannon and Caridad shook their heads.

"Chao-Ahn has talked with every restaurant owner, shop merchant, and every flea-market vendor we came across, asking if anyone has noticed or sensed anything odd in the city, and nothing," Caridad griped.

"On the plus side, we did get some nice bargains and some free Chinese food thanks to Chao-Ahn's social skills," Shannon said with some consolation as she chewed on a steamed pork-bun. Chao-Ahn grinned as she held up a greasy, paper sack bulging with food from the local merchants and vendors that she was able to sweet-talk for some free samples.

"So you didn't find _anything_ significant or out of the ordinary?" Kennedy asked, a little annoyed at their apparent goofing off. Caridad then recalled an important tidbit.

"Actually, there **was** one thing. We had to ask Chao-Ahn to point out the word in our dictionaries, but we found out that there are mutants in San Francisco! Several people already glimpsed some of them exploring the area!" Caridad gasped.

"**_Mutants?_**" echoed Willow in surprise.

"Here?" Faith asked as she contemplated the situation, "Good or baddies?"

"From what Chao-Ahn was able to deduce from various testimonies and from best we can translate, they're members of the X-Men and Misfits, those two groups we keep hearing about in the news. Though they're not vampires, it's still not a good sign, right? I mean, if the X-Men and the Misfits are here, then that means something big **is** going down in San Francisco," Caridad explained.

"Does anyone want a lotus cake?" Chao-Ahn asked in Cantonese to the group, and when no one answered back, the girl just shrugged to herself as she dug into her food happily, murmuring to herself, "More for me then…"

"Hey, they're not baddies, so if we run into any X-Men and Misfits and Joes, then don't freak out. Still, no need to blab it to them who we are, so just keep a low profile when y'all see 'em, y'dig?" Faith said in a voice close to an order, and Shannon and Caridad did their best to translate it back to Chao-Ahn.

"Well, well, if the little girls from out of town are scared of the big bad mutant freaks, and with no strong men to protect them," commented a grating voice from behind, and the six teenagers whirled around to see two, heavily built men sporting black berets and wearing red T-shirts that proudly proclaimed "FOH" in big black letters. On a second glance, Willow and Kennedy could spot that as they were walking, without their knowing it, they passed by an informational booth for the Friends of Humanity, and the two men manning the table were obviously members of the hate organization. Despite the two males being over six-feet tall and incredibly daunting, Willow cleared her throat nervously.

"Um…if you don't mind, we were having a _private_ conversation," Willow said politely.

"But what's your hurry, sweet-cheeks?" the first man grinned as the second man easily strode next to Willow, grabbing her wrist in a very unwelcome manner, and it was pretty clear that the two Friends of Humanity supporters weren't going to let them be. Kennedy eyes flashed and her face burned underneath her brown hair as she said sweetly with her muscles tense.

"First of all, she's gay, and secondly, Willow's **my** girl, so either get your hands off my lover, or else I'm gonna stuff that dumb beret from your head down your throat in the next minute, asswipe. Just a little friendly warning," the brown-haired beauty replied with gritted teeth.

The first man gave Willow and Kennedy a look of pure disgust as he exclaimed, "Aw, shit, we've been hitting on a _dyke_?"

Faith motioned to Kennedy that she was going to take over as she cut herself in front of Willow and placed herself between the girls and the two men from the Friends of Humanity. Faith then said scathingly, "Well, rather be with a dyke and a mutant than a couple of snot-bag, mama's boys who don't move out of their family basements."

That did it.

"What are you, some sort of freak-lover?" snarled the second man, and Faith got a mischievous, little smile on her face as she boldly faced the two Friends of Humanity soldiers, her hands on her hips and in a care-free, suave manner.

"So what if I am? You little pretty-boy dipsticks gotta problem with that?" Faith smirked, hoping to instigate a brawl, and she obviously wasn't going to be disappointed. Her jab was certainly the one thing needed to provoke the two idiots.

"Get her!" snarled the first as both he and his partner blitzed Faith, but Faith was more than ready as she then let loose without breaking a sweat, and within less than ten seconds, she managed to execute a series of rabbit punches, an elbow jab to the sternum followed by an elbow-right-hook combination and a push kick right into the gut followed by a knee to the groin and a sweep kick. And the main Slayer wasn't even finished as she kept wailing mercilessly (but understandably holding back) on the two Friends of Humanity supporters.

"Um…aren't you gonna stop her?" Willow asked her lover, "Oh my, she managed to fit the _whole_ thing in his mouth, though I'm not sure the guy likes the taste of his hat."

Kennedy gave Willow a deadpanned face of amusement as she replied, "Are you crazy, Will? I'm tempted to join in and help."

"I really don't think that you need to. Ouch, that's an interesting way to use a table leg," murmured Shannon as she winced at the bloodcurdling scream of pain from one of the men.

Meanwhile, several blocks away…

Phoebe yawned as she left the front entrance of the building of the publication, _The Bay Mirror_, and already, she was so drained and exhausted from her shift that she wanted nothing better to do than to soak into a hot bath with scented oils. Her work-schedule was starting to get so hectic, and the fact that she had to finish her column in conjunction to going to a meeting with the _San Francisco Chronicle_ with her boss and helping two other editors handle a previous deadline made Phoebe hope that nothing demon or warlock-related would spring up tonight.

"No, get away from me!" yelled a man's voice as Phoebe passed by the alleyway behind her workplace that sectioned between the brick building and the Mirror's concrete parking structure. Phoebe looked up to see the fleeting glimpse of a large man wearing a black, leather trench-coat…shimmering out of thin air?

Phoebe gasped. Shimmering was a demon's way of teleporting between the human realm and the demon realms. Warlocks. The Halliwell sister turned and noticed that since it was late at night, the streets had a scant amount of people, and only she was close enough to the alley to overhear the plea for help. Phoebe grabbed her cell-phone from her purse as she discreetly trailed behind and around the corner to see four men, all of them brawny and certainly formidable, wearing long, black coats while surrounding a portly, fat balding man with glasses. The victim was cowering and sobbing piteously.

"Please, whoever you are, just take my wallet! _You can have everything!_ Just leave me alone!" the prey blubbered, but the warlocks just simply advanced on the innocent and helpless man, and one of them created a pulsating sphere of bluish, crackling energy, ready to throw it at the terrified human and incinerate him into ashes. Phoebe hoped she could get to him in time, but she wasn't stupid enough to believe that she could take on four demonic male spellcasters at the same time, and she was immediately grateful when, despite the lateness of the day, Piper answered the phone briskly.

"Hello?"

"Piper, it's me, Phoebe!" the middle sister hissed urgently as she took out one of the many small vials of vanquishing potion she had in her purse for demon-slaying emergencies, "Demon emergency, in the alleys next to the Bay Mirror! Hurry!"

Unfortunately, one of the warlocks had sharp ears, and whirling around in alarm, he saw the brunette woman peeking behind nervously from the corner, and Phoebe's breath caught in her throat. Shit, she'd been caught.

"Looks like we have a nosy eavesdropper!" he snarled as he let loose a round of ebony lightning, and Phoebe dropped her cell-phone in fright as she immediately ducked behind the dense brick wall, and the only sounds Piper could hear were Phoebe fighting before it went to nothing but static, the cell-phone destroyed by the warlock's magic and cutting off the connection.

"Phoebe? **_Phoebe?"_** Piper yelled, starting to get frantic.

Willow suddenly gasped as she sensed the sudden influx of dark magic, her connection to the spirit of the Earth allowing her to detect the abnormal and destructive black energy of wicked hellspirits.

"Willow, what do you see?" Kennedy asked, eager and up to speed for battle as Willow's eyes flew open before she then exclaimed to Kennedy, Faith, Shannon, Chao-Ahn, and Caridad her sensation of the heebie-jeebies.

"Oh my…you…you guys!" Willow sputtered at first before she clarified more lucidly, "Demon attack on an innocent! I just sensed it! The same feeling I got from my dreams a week ago! It's somewhere near the alleys right next to some building that houses the 'Bay Mirror' newspaper! The spirits of the Earth are telling me the sudden appearance is next to the Bay Mirror! It could be a lead!"

"Wait, I know where that is!" Kennedy exclaimed, "We passed by that building twice on some of our rounds before! It's where Main Street and Golden Gate Avenue intersect! It's only a quarter mile from our position right now! We can get there if we sprint for it!"

Faith then took out her walkie-talkie as she sent a command to Wood while she and the other vampire slayers along with Willow started running. Wood immediately picked up and activated the corresponding walkie-talkie in his pocket on the second round of beeping, and he, Andrew, and Dana could hear Faith clearly.

"Everyone, Red's got a baddie mumbo-jumbo! The magic sighting's been sensed over at the alleyways next to _The Bay Mirror_ newspaper building! See ya' chumps there!" Faith reported, and Wood immediately honed in to their current location. It was only a couple of blocks away from the publication's head office and they could make it if they tried…

"Finally!" griped Dana, relieved at last, "I need something to kill to take out my frustrations on!"

Andrew looked immediately scared.

"Uh…maybe I should just stay here and…uh…wait to see if anything turns up at the…uh, coffee house - " began Andrew, but Wood just roughly grabbed the protégé by the collar of his jacket before half-dragging him along after Dana.

"C'mon, Andrew. Time for another practical lesson as a Watcher," Wood barked shortly, not in the mood for any nervousness or hesitation as he forcefully encouraged Andrew to run alongside. Yet Wood was in such a hurry to run as speedily as he could to The Bay Mirror residence that he didn't even notice that they were passing by Todd, Althea, and Roadblock in their mad dash. But the G.I. Joe soldier did.

"What the hell? That face just rang like a bell!" Roadblock gasped as he whirled around to see the Watcher, Dana, and Andrew turn around the corner. That one instance was fleeting, but years and years of fond childhood memories was enough for Marvin Hinton to recognize that fleeing person. The Joe immediately tore off towards the group.

"Huh? Roadblock, where you going, yo?" Todd exclaimed.

"Just going around the bend! I think I spotted my old friend!" versed the African-American solider as he ran after Wood.

Meanwhile, back at the Halliwell manor, Piper's heart beat frantically with worry as she hollered loudly for the entire house to hear, "Paige, we have an emergency!"

Piper was never so glad to see her younger sister rush out of the kitchen, busy with making potions and bottling them in miniature, corked glass vials. Paige, despite the argument she had with Piper two nights ago, was ready and eager to jump to whatever demon or magical crisis, her resentment and grudge against Piper's stubbornness immediately forgotten and pushed aside for now. Leo was over at nursery school with Wyatt and Chris before running some errands in the city, so for now, the only people in the house were the two remaining Charmed sisters.

"Piper, what's wrong?" Paige asked, concerned as she wiped her hands hurriedly on her jeans.

"There's a demon attack on Phoebe in the alleys next to the Bay Mirror! She's against four warlocks! Hurry!" Piper said, her voice rough with emotion. Paige realized the situation, and that there was no time to spare to grab whatever potions she had been bottling up in the kitchen. Their sister's life was on the line, and without a word, Paige grabbed on to Piper's shoulder and she orbed the both of them out of the house.

Unbeknownst to either of the sisters, a small, white camera looking through the window into the veranda filmed the scene…

"Die, witch!" yelled the warlock as he and his friends attempted to kill the lone Halliwell, their current attention to the previous victim now forgotten, and as the leading attacker launched another round of lightning, but Phoebe managed to strafe it easily before flinging the potion at the opponent with a quick flick of her wrist, the movement so small and subtle that not one of the four could discern what happened until it was too late. The small bottle cracked immediately, and upon contact with the warlock's magical aura, the liquid produced a fantastic combustive effect, and the man could do nothing but scream agonizingly, unable to brush the potion off his body before the flames consumed him where he stood.

Phoebe then reached into her purse for another potion, but a second warlock then threw an energy ball, and gasping, Phoebe nearly didn't anticipate the incoming attack as she dodged at the last minute.

_Pafff!_

Phoebe was breathless when it dawned on her in a second that she was all right, but in her hands, all she held were the tattered and charred remains of two leather straps where the energy ball struck her carry bag.

"Oh…damn it!" Phoebe cursed as she looked at the ruined remains of her purse, now nothing but ashes. And with it, the potions.

The second dark magician sneered as he advanced, thinking it was finished. But to the warlock's surprise, Phoebe was less than docile as she suddenly pivoted her foot before delivering an excellent side-kick into the warlocks's chest, leaving him stunned as the athletic woman then brought a devastating hook before throwing the warlock off to the side with a simple judo toss, using the demon's own body weight to trip him. Phoebe wasn't the least bit tired as she attacked. After all, Phoebe was a third-degree black-belt and former kickboxing champion for nothing. She wasn't as resilient as a vampire Slayer, but she was skilled and strong enough, and the years of experience she had with fighting evil only honed those skills far beyond most people.

She no longer had her active powers of empathy and levitation, but the middle Halliwell sister was far from helpless.

Enraged, another warlock tried to rush her with his fists raised, but despite being more muscular and larger and solid, Phoebe held her own as she strafed to the side at the last minute, twirling around out of harm's way, before delivering a karate chop at the back of the man's neck with enough force to fracture a normal human's skull. Yet since this was a demon, he couldn't be vanquished by most physical hand-to-hand combat and was only left with a dazed and throbbing headache.

"You…ruined…my…only…Prada!" Phoebe snarled, saying with each word with malice as she also simultaneously served a punch or a kick with each syllable, "Do you have _any_ idea how much these bags cost?"

She then finished her assault with a huge kick right into the warlock's crotch, a bit satisfied at seeing a warlock's face turn pale, bug-eyed.

However, while Phoebe was busy fighting for her life, the third warlock from the mouth of the alleyway was completely out of range from the Charmed sister's physical assault and out of her sight, positioned right at her back. The blond-haired demon grinned as he made a crackling, deadly sphere of energy with his left hand, ready to throw it at the unsuspecting and unwary witch. It would be a sure kill.

Then suddenly, there was a soft noise, as if something tore through the air as it sped like a bullet.

_Ka-shhoopppshhh!_

The warlock let out a surprised short scream before he died, vanishing into flames and disintegrating into dust as the crossbow shaft lodged into his back and plunged through his chest, dead center. And Phoebe and the other two warlocks turned to see a girl with long, curled brown hair and wearing a jean jacket and pants, calmly fitting another arrow into her crossbow notch, her face stony. And next to the girl were eight other girls, seven of them armed with knives, wooden stakes, axes, and other medieval weapons along with a strapping African-American man and a smaller and extremely fearful blond male teenager next to him.

Shannon raised her crossbow again at the nearest warlock as she growled, "Leave them alone, or this next one's going right into your head, jerkface."

"Who the hell are you?" snarled one of the warlocks, an unkempt being with scraggly, greasy long hair, "Go away, tramps! This is none of your concern!"

"It is now," Rona said simply as she and Chao-Ahn armed themselves respectively with a spiked mace on a stick and an axe, "Course, we're all for convincing you the hard way with a good fight. Now get the hell away from the two innocent people you were terrorizing!"

The two warlocks still weren't ready to comply, but then before they could do anything, they suddenly felt a rather hot sensation building up inside them, and to their horror, the surge of heartburn within their souls took only an instant before the two exploded down to the molecular level, and before Willow, Andrew, Wood, and the Slayers' eyes, the remaining enemies vanished into ashes which then faded away into obscurity in the thin air. Phoebe turned gratefully to see Piper and Paige behind her; it was Piper who caused the dangerous, bloodthirsty dark wizards to die via molecular combustion. Upon seeing the armed girls, Piper held up her hands at the leading Slayer which happened to be Faith, instantly assuming the worst and thinking that they were dark witches or witch-hunters.

Piper growled, "Back off, tramp!"

Faith was immediately insulted as she drew out her stake, scoffing, "Kinda like calling the kettle black from they way _you_ dress, Mrs. Pot!"

"Wait, Piper, Paige, stop! All of you! **_STOP!_**" Phoebe screamed shrilly, and there was a temporary lull as the two Halliwells turned to Phoebe, with the Slayers and Scoobies ready to spring in an instant. Phoebe then carried on hurriedly before the two groups of people could attack each other again.

"Piper, they helped me! They're good guys! If it wasn't for the girl with the crossbow, I'd be dead!" Phoebe cried out.

"For now, at least," hissed a familiar voice, and everyone turned to see the previously cowering male, now completely devoid of any human emotion on his face, his tearful demeanor vanishing on the spot only to be replaced with a satisfied sneer. With a snap of his fingers, his appearance melted away via a simple glamour spell before he revealed his true form.

"Zankou!" gasped the three sisters as they backed away in defense from the goateed warlock. Willow, Wood, Andrew, and the Slayers just looked a little lost as they glanced back and forth between the three Wiccans and the warlock.

"Um…can someone help us out here?" Caridad asked, a bit annoyed, from the sidelines as she held her sword. Paige looked at the strange throng of people next to them before she decided that if they hadn't attacked them and that they had no idea who Zankou was, then they were temporarily not a threat to them. Yet.

"Uh…_he's_ evil, we're not," Paige clarified. Kennedy turned to Willow who also nodded her approval and validation at the statement.

"They're Wiccans, white witches, so what they speak is true. They're not evil…I think," Willow finished lamely, looking a bit uncomfortable at speaking out loud.

"Good enough for me," Faith said simply as he readied her stake before hurling it like a knife at the warlock in front. Yet Zankou deflected it easily with a simple wave of his hand. Piper then took her chance as she flicked her hands at Zankou again, but to her surprise, the air around the warlock shimmered as a barrier of multicolored energy flickered at once upon the attack by the eldest Wiccan. Piper cursed; Zankou was especially prepared for her powers and abilities.

"Oh, please, like a Slayer can kill me so easily," he scoffed as the powerfully built man levitated high into the air, "And you Charmed Ones are simply no better if you all managed to come here just as I planned."

"Slayers?" Phoebe and Piper gasped as they turned to Wood, Andrew, and the girls, "You're **_Slayers_**?"

At the same time, Willow was also staring the Piper, Phoebe, and Paige with a mixture of awe, surprise, and reverence. She had heard of them, but only in mystical legends and stories of heroes such as the Lady of the Lake and the Guardians…

"The Charmed Ones? Oh…wow! You're the **_Charmed Ones_**?" Willow sputtered in her usual nervous and timid candor.

"Can you save the introductions for a minute while we deal with an obvious baddie? It's a trap!" Kennedy snapped as she drew out her twin short swords, her left eyebrow twitching at the bad timing.

Zankou then smiled as he raised his hands and scoffed, "And how right you are, Slayer."

Immediately, a black bolt of lightning from the clouds above flashed before descending down on the ground before the Halliwells, the Scoobies, and the Slayers, bringing forth a small yet quivering and squelching blob of black matter, like solidified putty mixed with tar. The mound quivered and made sickening, gurgling wet noises like a newborn baby.

"A gift from the Organization. Enjoy your deaths, you fools," Zankou sneered as he shimmered into thin air, disappearing as the Charmed Ones, the Slayers, Wood, Willow, and Andrew then saw the mound of dark tar unfold and expand, growing bigger by the instant before their very eyes.

They could only watch in petrified horror (even Willow with her past experiences was truly astounded) as the mass of shadows began to solidify and coagulated into black flesh and leathery smooth skin, as black as the darkest obsidian and ebony. The gelatinous mass then began to rise until it very nearly reached the top of the surrounding five-story buildings next to it, sprouting grotesquely lankly, muscular and deformed arms, fingered claws pooping out at the end of the bulbs which soon grew into grimy hands. Its neck was long and misshapen with mounds of flesh like as if someone mishandled a long tube of clay, and at the very end was an egg-shaped head, devoid of any hair, and two uneven eyes so white it was blinding with black and blue pupils. And in the center of the pupils was a glowing dot of red crimson fire, like fresh blood. The thing's mouth was wide, a horizontal line that ran across the entire span of its lower face, large enough to chew a human in half, and when the abomination opened its orifice, the Slayers, Scoobies, and the Charmed Ones could see row after row of white, razor-sharp teeth, with strands of slimy mucus running from the top to the bottom. Its chest was perfectly and proportionally muscular, but gaunt and able to show its ribs protruding underneath its hide, and in the center of its torso was a black-and-red symbol of a heart crossed out by a thorny "X". It was humanoid, but smelled like something dead and decaying, it the way its body was proportioned made it look like a cross between a shriveled mummy and a hulking zombie. After rolling its eyeball and focusing its sight upon the group, the creature hissed as the muscles

With a small yet bone-chilling and inhuman roar, the Heartless ambled slowly towards them, making small tremors and craters where its feet crushed the cement and concrete underneath its heavy weight.

"**_What the hell is that thing?_**" screamed Shannon as she got another shaft for her crossbow ready.

"Whatever it is, it's tough! Girls, we're gonna be in for an ugly fight!" Wood yelled with warning as he let loose four razor-sharp shuriken into the towering giant of darkness, but unfortunately, it just sank and embedded deep into its flesh without even causing the slightest discomfort to the monster. Meanwhile, a little off behind them, Jubilee was observing this with petrified astonishment.

"No way…" Jubilee murmured to herself.

In one of the neighboring rooftops, Trinity gasped as their pink scanners detected a very familiar essence trace in downtown San Francisco. Quinn shouted urgently on her communicator, "You guys! Code Red! **Code Red!** **_We detected a Heartless!_**"

At the very same moment, quite far from the battle, a lone giant sensed the disturbance with a sudden jerk, and sniffing the air, the figure murmured with surprise underneath his deep voice.

"By the Great Beast!" the figure swore, groaning, as he fled towards the action…

**Author's notes: Yep, and the chaos hasn't even started! Next Friday, check back the chapter, "Worlds Collide" when everyone gets into the mix to take down the Heartless, but are they strong enough to do it, especially when Jubilee and a reluctant ally join in the fray with the X-Men, the Misfits, the Joes, the Slayers, and the Charmed Ones? Now is when things really get hectic when three worlds drop into the hardest fight yet! Until next Friday, read, enjoy, and review! Constructive criticism welcome!**


	5. Worlds Collide

**Author's Notes: We now have a Misfit-Verse forum in the forum section of the "X-Men: Evolution" subsection, so any questions or anything you wish to discuss, feel free to post! Many thanks to Theodore Hawkwood for creating it! And Happy Holidays, everyone! Enjoy my Christmas present to you with this chapter! (And I have to go to a party in ten minutes!) Merry Christmas!**

**CHAPTER 5: Worlds Collide**

"Metal pipes!" Paige yelled as she held out her hand, palm upwards, at a nearby dumpster that had a small but adequate collection of jagged, pointed metal rods, reddish from years of rust. With s soft noise and a flurry of white sparks, Paige telekinetically orbed the pointed pipes in front of her, hovering in front of her via the Whitelighter magical aura. With a fling of her hand, the Charmed Wiccan pushed the makeshift javelins at the monstrous fiend and the projectiles bulleted forward, a small cloud of lethal barbs.

_Spluck!_

The Heartless faltered a bit backwards as Paige and the Slayers looked on at her handiwork. Each and every one of the pipes had struck its mark, and now the living beast has metal shafts protruding out of its face, head, and chest like a deranged porcupine, and out of the torn and punctured flesh was some slight bleeding, dark liquid like tar. Yet if anything, it just made the Heartless madder before it gave a shriek of rage and charged, swinging its gargantuan arms. Paige gasped before she grabbed Phoebe and Piper and orbed all three of them out of the way right before one of the clawed hands came crashing down a split-second later, and with a furious discharge of rock and concrete, the Heartless made a deep impression in the ground. Paige grimaced as she and her sisters orbed a safe distance from behind; those arms must have weighed as much as a car, and even a glancing blow from one of the monster's limbs could mean them having every bone broken in their body.

"Yikes, I think I made it madder!" gulped Paige.

"Gee, what was your first clue?" Faith snapped as she and the other Slayers sprang into action. Shannon aimed and fired her crossbow shaft into the Heartless' right eye, scoring a direct hit while Faith, in a brilliant and exceptional move of acrobatics, jumped from the wall corner of the alley to a nearby fire escape ladder. Scurrying upwards up the metal rungs until she was just high enough, Faith took a flying leap as she drew another wooden stake from her jacket and brought it down hard on the monster's head.

The Heartless arched back and roared as Faith drove home the wooden stick into its right eye, blinding it, and Faith took a flying leap before the Heartless could attempt to claw her off.

Andrew was nervous as he gingerly and awkwardly held a wooden staff in his hands; this was one of the first times he had ever been in battle before, and truth be told, even when he was sent to fetch Dana, he wasn't truly impressive or spectacular. And since the less than thrilling success with anything sharp or pointy in past sessions (though to be fair, Willow managed to sow Giles' ear back in place), Wood decided it would be best if for this mission, Andrew was given something less of a danger to himself that he couldn't accidentally cut with. Willow nodded as she started to invoke her magic.

"Just stay behind and help me out if that thing gets too close before I can use a spell on it, Andrew!" Willow said as her hair turned as white as fallen snow and her eyes became glassy and glazed, a testament to her now transformed state of being a future Guardian since invoking the hallowed Scythe, using her magic to blast the creature of darkness.

"_Adustum Vulcanus Inflammo!_" Willow chanted, invoking her spell of the fires of the Roman fire-god to set the Heartless alight. Immediately, several fireballs emerged from Willow's hand, and she flung them at the ogre, each spark growing and swelling in size until four large supernovas hammered down on the creature. There was a furious swirl of fire and wind and the Heartless shrieked, but to Willow's astonishment, it had no effect. Though a little singed and smoking vile plumes of smoke, the Heartless charged at Willow and Andrew.

"Oh holy crap!" whimpered Andrew, looking as if he was going to wet his pants right then and there. However, Chao-Ahn was ready to pick up the slack as she rushed by with her axe from behind and delivered a furious swipe with her Slayer strength, neatly decapitating the foot off the abomination's leg, and the Heartless stumbled a bit as it fell forward, now having nothing but a bloody stump.

Kennedy then saw her chance as Chao-Ahn back-flipped to safety.

"I have an idea! Wait for my signal!" Kennedy exclaimed at Rona and Dana before she gripped her swords firmly with both hands before she rushed towards the Heartless. With a leap, Kennedy stabbed the Heartless, driving her sword right through the hand and pinning it to the concrete, the metal blade now firmly stuck and jamming the creature's appendage to the ground. The Heartless roared before it swiped with its other hand and before Kennedy could do anything, she was sent flying from the impact of the blow and crashed against the wall before she fell, limp and bleeding from her head and chest.

"Kennedy!" screamed Willow and Faith as Rona and Dana rushed together, blitzing the Heartless with a flurry of punches and kicks and jabs while Shannon sent another crossbow shaft to the Heartless' head. Then suddenly, several Batarangs flew down before they embedded deep into the monster's flesh, distracting it as the dark fiend howled in pain from the sharp projectiles lodged into its throat, and the other warriors gasped as Batgirl swung down.

"Mind if I join in?" Batgirl said rhetorically as she sent an explosive Batarang this time to discharge furiously on the beast's shoulder.

"Who are you?" Faith asked suspiciously.

"Whoa! Hey, ease up you guys! I recognize her! She's a good guy, uh, girl! She's a member of the Justice League!" Andrew shouted, now looking so gleeful, it was as if Christmas had come early, for a moment forgetting his precarious position in a battlefield. Suddenly, the Heartless managed to wrench its hand free from Kennedy's swords, but before it could try to kill Wood who was nearby, a hail of bullets halted it in its tracks.

The Watcher turned, and to his surprise, he saw a soldier holding a smoking machine gun. The face had aged considerably and seen more than its share of battle and warfare, but Wood could recognize that face anywhere.

"Well, I'll be damned! **_Marvin?_**" gasped Wood, nearly dropping his sword and not even daring to believe it. Roadblock gave a wide grin, a sure sign of their happier past memories.

"The one and only, Wood, and sorry to jump in, but you'd be killed where you stood. I'd hate to just shoot and not catch up on old times, but we have to get rid of this Heartless, And I hope ya' don't mind! You all seemed to be in a little bad fix, so me and my machine gun should settle this conflict!" the Joe soldier versed simply as he reloaded his machine gun with a final _click_.

Faith gave Roadblock a very odd look before she turned to Wood and asked, "Friend of yours?"

Wood nodded as he flung another set of ninja stars, aiming at the legs of the enemy Heartless this time, as he replied as calmly as he could while Roadblock fired from his gun, "We're childhood buddies."

The brown-haired, young woman shook her head in a commiserating demeanor as she muttered, "Damn, Wood, you know the weirdest people"

Rona then yelled in shock as she avoided another swipe of the Heartless' other clawed hand, missing her narrowly as she leaned back acrobatically backwards, her head nearly touching the ground as the deadly fingernails whizzed by, "Oh, for crying out loud! First we run into other Wiccans, a big black baddie that's damn near invincible, and next we run into Batgirl and a soldier from G.I. Joe of all people! **_What's next?_** The X-Men and the Misfits?"

"Misfits, YO JOE!" rang out Wavedancer's voice, and likewise, a chorus of voices bellowed back in response, their combined volume overwhelming like a tidal wave.

"YO JOE!" yelled the Joes and their mutant children as they charged. At the same time, Vi and Rona also heard Cyclops' voice ring out impressively, echoing throughout the alleyway as his team either rushed in by foot or by air.

"X-Men, MOVE OUT!" the leader commanded as he let loose a furious discharge of optic energy directly into the chest of the Heartless, but predictably, the red solar energy from the teenager just ricocheted off harmlessly, and the gargantuan monstrosity wasn't the least bit fazed.

Rona gave a commiserating and deadpanned look of disbelief before she wearily turned to Vi and asked, "I just set myself up for **that** one, didn't I?"

"Big time," Vi agreed as she then managed to narrowly dash by right after the living atrocity struck, missing the girl, her feet so slight and noiseless, it was as if she was flying. With a short burst of speed that couldn't had been possible for any capable human, the Slayer took a flying leap towards the creature's exposed right side and quickly slashed forward with her knife. The monster servant of the Thirteenth Order howled as a deep gash about a foot long split open, making a soft, wet ripping noise as the skin and flesh cracked open like an egg. Snarling, the Heartless aimed a kick at Vi that would have surely taken off her head and stomped her into a bloody pulp, but Vi then got a brilliant idea as she remembered her training back in London and at Sunnydale. Strafing to the left, Vi avoided the kick right before she lodged her knife deep into the joint in the back of the leg where the knee resided in, a weak point in any upright opponent, and the Heartless fell to its knees again, just still just as dangerous as ever. This gave several of the Misfits and X-Men to attack as they struck in a unified force, but unfortunately, like Cyclops' energy blast, this Heartless seemed immune to such attacks.

"Whitelighter, Dragonfly, go heal as many people as you can and be prepared to act as backup for any injuries! Hurry!" Wavedancer commanded as she flung an acid pellet at the Heartless' face, letting the caustic liquid eat at its flesh excruciatingly.

Paige and Phoebe's eyes widened in shock as they literally stopped in their assault and stared at Justin.

"**_Whitelighter?_**" Paige echoed, her jaw dropping.

"Did she just call him 'Whitelighter'?" Phoebe said, still in disbelief, but in the back of her mind, she knew that the term was too vague and obscure for anyone outside the Charmed Ones circle to even acknowledge. Justin paid no attention as he reached Kennedy while Dragonfly tended to Chao-Ahn who had a massive and serious gash on her arm.

"I got you. Let me heal you," murmured Justin as he laid his glowing hands on the injured Slayer.

The enemy then roared as it tried to grab Dana who was nearby, but Kurt then grabbed the Slayer and teleported away before the claws could reach them, but alas, the instant Dana saw Nightcrawler's face, she shrieked before she started to beat him up.

"Yow! What are you doing?" Kurt cried as he kept trying to dodge Dana's attacks. If it wasn't for his Danger Room training, he would have never made it through the girl's assault unscathed.

"I must rid this world of all demons, hellspawn!" snarled the Slayer as she tried to jam a wooden stake into Nightcrawler's heart, but thankfully, the X-Man was able to teleport out of the way before the lethal stab.

"_Mein Gott!_ I am not a demon, _die Freundin!_ I'm a mutant!"

At the same time, Piper saw that her molecular combustion wasn't working, and she commanded to her other sisters.

"We'll have to use a spell! Use the one we've used to banish the Source! We can't stop it, but the strength of our lineage and ancestors might!" Piper declared.

Together, the three sisters linked hands before they chanted, and Willow gasped as she could feel it, the aura of the Earth, rushing around from every object and terrain from all around, crashing like an unstoppable force of power as the words of the Charmed Ones grew more and more foreboding and vigorous. The skies rumbled, though there wasn't a cloud in the sky, as the winds started to pick up and howl.

"_Prudence, Patricia, Penelope, Melinda…_" Piper chanted.

"_Astrid, Helena, Laura and Grace…_" Phoebe chanted.

"_Halliwell witches, stand strong beside us…_" Paige finished.

Altogether, the sister chanted as their hands clenched hard against each other's palms as they intoned, "_Banish this evil from time and - !_"

Suddenly, there was a fierce cry of pain as Phoebe felt something hot hit her back, and she collapsed on her knees as more multicolored energy streams rained down on her, causing instant burns and blood to run down her body. Piper and Paige turned to see to their surprise and horror, a Chinese girl firing fireworks at them. And because of her intervention, the Charmed Ones couldn't finish the spell, and the Heartless was still running rampant.

"What the hell?" Piper gasped.

"Die you witch!" screamed Jubilee as she kept firing upon Phoebe and her family. Wolverine gasped before he made a move to grab her, restraining her in a bear-hug and pinning her hands to her sides.

"Kid, stop! What the hell is the matter with you?" Logan cried as Whitelighter and Dragonfly moved to heal Phoebe.

Then the Heartless started to scamper as Storm let loose several rounds of lightning, and in its mad dash, it reached out towards a petrified Andrew.

"Andrew, move!" Shannon cried, and in a last, split-second decision that could only go on the borderline between admirable and foolish, Shannon shoved Andrew to the side just as the Heartless' clawed hand lunged.

"SHANNON!" screamed Vi and Caridad as the Heartless succeeded in catching their fellow Slayer, with the girl struggling in the abomination's right hand, the fingers squeezing her body like a vise of iron.

"No, not again!" Andrew cried, instantly remembering Anya's death at the battle of the Hellmouth.

"Oh God!" Shannon screamed as she tried to fight and squirm out of the Heartless' grip, "I got stabbed and burned by Caleb, got thrown out of a moving car and nearly died, and _now_ I'm gonna get eaten by some monster! Oh God, my life **really** sucks right now!"

"Leave her alone, ya' big Heartless yahoo!" Rogue screamed as she and Sunspot blitzed the creature on its left as a team, intending to physically brawl and pummel the monster into letting go of its bounty, but now intent on killing at least one of its opponents, shrieked inhumanly as it then swatted hard with its left claw, and Rogue and Roberto felt the wind get knocked out of them as they were sent flying by the hard blow, enough to break every bone in their bodies.

_Crash!_

Rogue and Sunspot wearily picked themselves out of the rubble that they caused when they crashed through the entire brick and mortar wall of the nearby warehouse, and thankfully, it was deserted at the time, so no one got hurt. And thanks to Roberto's increased strength and durability in his energy mode and Rogue's invincibility, neither of them was greatly wounded, but the two X-Men were dizzy nonetheless along with some bruises.

"Ugh…" Rogue muttered as she shook the cobwebs out of her head.

"As soon as the room and ground stops spinning, then I'm gonna pound that giant freak," groaned Sunspot as he gingerly touched his throbbing head. During this, as Shadowcat and Dragonfly rushed towards the two injured teammates, the others were busy trying to figure out a way to get Shannon.

"I've got a shot!" Low Light said as he aimed his sniped rifle dead center in the Heartless' left eye, but Andrew then squealed in fright.

"No!" he yelled urgently, "Don't shoot! You might hit Shannon!"

"I have to chance it, kid!" snapped Low Light, but then he felt a cold, pricking sensation underneath his chin, and he glanced out of the corner of his eye out of the eyesight of the sniper-scope to see Caridad with a menacing look on her face as she held the edge of her sword right above Low Light's Adam's Apple. One swift motion was all it would take.

"Drop the gun. You're **not** risking my friend's life," Caridad growled. Low Light admirably didn't falter and kept his gun aimed at the experiment of darkness.

"I can make the shot! Trust me!" Low Light snapped. Caridad then brought the edge of the blade closer to the Joe's throat, the metal nicking him slightly and drawing a drop of blood.

"I **don't**," Caridad emphasized before she commanded with deadly command, "Drop the gun, or I drop you."

Deciding to ignore the precarious delicacy of the tense stand-off, Low Light ignored the small intake of surprise from Caridad as he immediately turned into pure adamantium, a substance that in no way the Slayer would ever penetrate with her sword blade. With his body now immune to any danger from the girl's weapon, Low Light was free to fire, but Caridad wasn't the least bit daunted and at a loss as she then brought her sword down on the sniper's gun.

_Crack!_

Low Light gasped as his beloved and previous sniper rifle was now rent into two useless pieces of metal.

"**Now** you're starting to bug me, you little upstart!" the G.I Joe sniper snarled at Caridad who did not look the slightest remorseful for her interference.

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise…

_Kaaa-shhhhiiippp!_

The Heartless screamed at once, a lone howl of sounds that could never come from a human vocal chord as its right arm was now completely severed, the edges of the laceration smoking as if seared by something red-hot. The entire appendage was cleanly cleaved off at the shoulder, and to the Heartless' stunned horror, the arm fell off and with it, its prey. But before Shannon could hit the ground, with a yelp, she felt something securely and protectively snatch her in mid-air before darting away from the monster. Something huge, furry, and warm, emanating a powerful aura of calm yet deadly boldness…

"No way!" Avalanche exclaimed, and his face suddenly lit up with awe and relief. Shadowcat noticed this with some conflicted puzzlement as she, the Slayers, the Charmed Ones, the Scoobies, the X-Men, the Misfits, and the Joes witnessed Leomon sliding into a full stop right in front of the crowd, carrying a shell-shocked but intact Shannon in the crook of his left arm.

"What the hell?" Wood exclaimed, and Leomon roared his command to everyone.

"GET CLEAR!" the swordsman snarled as yellow ki energy built up in his right fist, and sensing what was about to happen, everyone, Slayer, human, witch and mutant alike, dove out of the path as the lion then aimed his devastating attack on the Heartless immediately.

"Oh, like this isn't going to be pretty!" Shadowcat gulped.

"Everybody vamoose, cause it looks like Leomon is gonna cut loose!" Roadblock yelled.

"Holy crap!" Faith gasped as she and the others could sense the power of a very destructive force, one that was not readily found on Earth, as Leomon pumped his fist high in the air, bellowing his battle cry so loudly, it sent a shiver down the spine of everyone in the vicinity.

"**GAIA!**" Leomon roared, "**FIST OF THE BEAST KING!**"

And with a roar of a thousand lion kings, Leomon shot out a gigantic ball of yellow-colored life force, the gigantic surge of power now forming into the roaring, translucent head of a brawny, massive, roaring lion, heading full out directly into the Heartless. And thanks to Jean using her telekinesis to hold it in place with every ounce of her mental strength, there was no chance for the monster of darkness to evade the attack.

The creature gave a final shriek as it stupidly accepted its fate, and upon contact, the energy ravaged it, incinerating the monster sent by Zankou instantly, causing it to dissolve, but unfortunately, the explosion of ki energy was so destructive, it spread throughout the entire alley, threatening to incinerate all of them in the process.

"Willow!" Kennedy exclaimed.

"I got it!" Willow cried as she raised both of her hands above her head, and immediately, a barrier of shimmering, magical energy surrounded everyone, the Charmed Ones, the Slayers and Scoobies, the X-Men, the Misfits, the Joes, Batgirl, and Leomon. The shield buckled and quivered like gelatin, but thankfully, it still remained steadfast. And they remained safe while the Heartless evaporated and was engulfed by the ruinous and overwhelming strike. In a few tedious and long seconds, the rumbling stopped and the luminosity died away, leaving nothing but a wrecked alleyway, charred stone and scorch marks on the walls white the entire concrete pavement was cracked and ruined, fractured as if a stampede of elephants stormed through this very spot.

In short, it was a complete wreck.

There was a short scream of rage as everyone then turned to see Jubilee trying to attack Phoebe Halliwell again with her powers, doing her best to use her powers and blast the Wiccan where she stood, with Roberto and Logan trying to physically restrain her.

"Jubes! Jubes, stop! What's up with you?" Roberto cried out.

Jubilee had tears of pain and rage on her face as she squirmed, screaming, "Let me kill her! **Let me kill her!** She murdered my parents! **That girl named Phoebe murdered my parents!**"

The X-Men, the Misfits, and the Joes stopped and stared at Phoebe Halliwell while Piper and Paige flanked both of her sides, instantly coming to her defense.

"You know her?" Paige asked roughly, indicating with a nod of her head to Jubilee.

"She's one of us. She used to be a student of the Institute until her parents took her away after the Sentinel attacked us and exposed the existence of mutants to the entire world," Sunspot explained, and the mention of her dead mother and father sent Jubilee into a greater frenzy of bloodlust.

"And she killed them! The bitch killed my parents! She sent a vampire to my house to murder all of us, and then she lit my entire house on fire! And I saw her! I saw her! I saw Phoebe kill my parents! And she tried to kill me!" Jubilee screamed shrilly, now half-sobbing and hysterical as she weakly sank to her knees, weeping piteously. Phoebe was utterly stunned, and she didn't like some of the glares she was getting from the mutants or the Joes.

"But I didn't!" gasped Phoebe, "I didn't! Really, I didn't do anything! I never met her before in my life, and I have no reason to kill her and her family! I'm a good witch, a Wiccan! I wouldn't ever kill anything if it isn't endangering an innocent or isn't a demon! I didn't kill her parents! **She's lying!**"

Then the Professor and Jean looked into Jubilee's devastated and grief-filled mind with their telepathy, and what they saw stunned them, the images of the vampire heartlessly executing the Lee family, and the image of Phoebe using the power of fire, similar to that of the mutant, Pyro, to erase all the evidence, the exact words of Phoebe's phone conversation etched accurately in Jubilee's mind. The Professor was fuming at the pain of his student, his eyes dark and glittering, and he had to force himself to check his temper and he breathed heavily in and out, trying to cool down his bubbling wrath as he looked on at Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. They had no idea how close the Professor was to losing it fully (and really, not even Magneto would have been foolhardy enough to anger Xavier in this way). Jean turned to the others and nodded.

"She's telling the truth," she said in a low and hateful voice, brimming with allegation, "I just looked into her mind! Jubilee is telling the truth! The Professor and I saw it! The vampire, the girl named Phoebe over there, the murder, the destruction of her home and her life! _It's all true!_ Phoebe Halliwell **did** send a vampire to kill Jubilee and inadvertently murdered her parents!"

Althea turned to Trinity who nodded additionally.

"We can't look into her mind, but we _can_ sense her grief…and it's pretty genuine," Daria admitted.

Now a lot of the crowd was staring suspiciously at the Charmed Ones (and Wolverine and Rina looked ready to kill), and Phoebe felt overwhelmed and angry as she stood her ground.

"**_I didn't do anything! I'm telling you the truth! Why would I continue to deny it if I did murder her parents? I'm telling you, I'm innocent! I didn't kill anyone! I have no idea of what's going on or what she's talking about!_**" Phoebe yelled, now losing her temper, her face flushed and burning a brilliant shade of red.

Xavier then decided to ask some questions from what he gained from the images he witnessed in Jubilee's mind.

"Is your name Phoebe Halliwell?" the Professor asked in a restrained yet admirably controlled voice. Phoebe whirled on Professor Xavier before she decided to answer his question truthfully and show that she wasn't lying.

"Yes," she replied rather heatedly.

"And is your sister's name Piper Halliwell?" the Professor continued, leading into his questioning and his frown now getting darker and more accusatory.

"Yes," Phoebe hissed impatiently.

"And do you know of a place called P3?"

Piper frowned as she answered, "Yes, that's my night club that I own here in San Francisco. How did you know that?"

"And what do you know of the Turok-Han?" the Professor asked calmly, probing deeper with his telepathy. The Slayers, Willow, Wood, and Andrew's heads perked up.

"The Turok-Han? Did you just say the **_Turok-Han_**?" gasped Andrew.

"Yes, it's the vampire that killed Jubilee's parents, the one that Phoebe sent to try to assassinate her back in Los Angeles. Why? Do you people know what it is, any information at all that can help shed some light on this subject?" Jean provided.

"A Turok-Han is a super-strong version of a vampire on steroids. We've fought them before, and they're really evil and nasty!" Rona explained.

"And not that many people know of the legend of the Turok-Han because they're so ancient and haven't been seen for centuries until recently that the stories of them disappeared and have been forgotten due to obscurity. So the only way your friend Jubilee could know about the Turok-Han…is that if her story is true and that her parents really were killed by a vampire! Trust me, a Turok-Han exists and it's very real! Only a person of black magic or a servant of the First could control them!" Kennedy provided.

"I knew it!" snarled X23 and Cyclops as they glared back at the Halliwells.

"I'm telling you, I know _nothing_ of the Turok-Han!" Phoebe retorted.

The Professor then stated quite harshly, "Jubilee's mind says otherwise, especially since she eavesdropped on your phone conversation with Piper and overheard how you planned to send an army of Turok-Han vampires to slaughter and kill all of us, the X-Men, the Misfits, and the Joes, once we arrived in San Francisco."

"An army?" gasped Willow. It was so similar to that of the battle at the Hellmouth of Sunnydale…

"Hold it!" Wood said calmly before the other Slayers could join in on the lynch mob, "Yes, the fingers do point to the Halliwells, but let's not forget that these are the Charmed Ones we're talking about, the strongest witches of white magic that ever existed in the history of magic! Yes, Halliwells, I know of the legends of your lineage. But my point being is that Wiccans do not kill and commit acts of murder because they are good magic spellcasters! Just because a Turok-Han was sent to kill Jubilee's parents doesn't mean necessarily that it was one of the sisters who sent it!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Scott growled.

"You mean you're not going to do anything?" Jubilee shrieked, outraged.

Storm then said sternly, "Child, even if she was guilty, what can we do? X-Men do not kill, and we cannot punish those in retribution! And we are not under any authority of law to judge these Halliwells by trial! And we need to stop and make sure that they are guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt!"

Jubilee was now inconsolable as she wept angrily and shouted, "**_I knew it!_** I knew you wouldn't believe me! You don't care that my parents were killed and that Phoebe gets off scot-free! **You don't care!** This is why I didn't contact you guys before! Because I knew you'd all try to stop me from avenging my parents! **I hate you! _I HATE ALL OF YOU!_**"

And with that, sobbing, Jubilee dashed off, away from the scene, away from her friends, and away from her family, alone and with no support to help her.

"Jubilee, wait!" yelled Iceman, intending to rush after her, but Wolverine placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head at the adolescent. Lina looked sympathetic and touched, her heart going out to Bobby.

"Hold it Ice-Cube, she's not ready to deal with us yet…especially since I gotta hunch she's got a good reason to be so hostile to these three over here."

The feral-grizzled mutant then glared at Piper, Phoebe, and Paige rather harshly, his suspicions mounting, and immediately, Phoebe and Piper were offended.

"I'm telling you, **I did not kill her parents!** What part of that sentence do you not understand? I don't even know her! And need I remind you that _she_ tried to kill me?" Phoebe snapped, her eyes blazing angrily, and really, she felt less than courteous towards the X-Men for even blatantly accusing her of such a thing. Jean stared at the Charmed witch rather accusingly as she folder her arms across her chest, not believing a word the witch said.

"Memories don't lie," Jean said, her voice icy and spiteful, "People like you do, however."

Phoebe, Piper, and Paige immediately glared at the X-Girl, and though they couldn't use their Wicca magic to attack under the threat of losing their abilities permanently, they could say that they really, **_really_** hated Jean Grey right then and there.

Pietro then said after some thought from the background, "Could Jubilee's memories have been tampered with? You know, like some sort of telepathic implant or lie? Keep in mind that Emma Frost is just as powerful as you, Xavier, and since she's in the Hellfire Club, she might have done something to Jubilee."

Xavier frowned, but he softened his glare at the Charmed Ones as he admitted, "It is pure speculation, Quicksilver, but you do raise a valid point. The mind isn't one-hundred percent reliable."

"Hard to fake something like **that**, Professor," Iceman argued, "Jubilee's out there, and she thinks that no one believes her, that we don't give a crap about how she's an orphan now! It isn't fair to Jubilee! We should go find her and go after her! It's not safe!"

Dragonfly placed a hand on the seething X-Man's shoulder, whispering, "Iceman, we'll get to the bottom of this soon, I promise. The Joes will see what's going on with Jubilee, but until then, you can't accuse these women of something that atrocious."

Ororo then remarked wearily, "And we'll use Cerebro to keep watch over her and make sure that she will not put herself in any danger. But until then, we cannot force her to stay with us if she does not wish to."

Iceman sighed, but nodded, still worried, and Dragonfly wanted nothing better than to hug Bobby and let him know that it would turn out all right (though she had no idea how much Bobby would have wanted that if she did).

"Paige, let's go. I don't want to be around the likes of them," Piper murmured, agitated, but Paige and Phoebe both shook their heads.

"No, we need to find out why there's a boy with the same powers of a Whitelighter!" Paige said impatiently.

"And I think we should also stay for the Slayers and mutants' sakes, to see if any of them are hurt or need some help. And as much as I hate that red-headed bitch and the Professor right now, I think we can trust them, **both** the X-Men and the Misfits. Batgirl was obviously sent by the Justice League to help us, so we can guess why she's here. And the Book of Shadows did mention that vampire slayers are inherently on the side of good," Phoebe added, though she did secretly admit that she didn't want to just stand here and be accused of a crime she didn't commit. Piper felt her frustration and resentment at her two younger siblings multiply at the way she was being overruled.

Meanwhile, the other X-Men, some of the Joes, and Misfits were not the least bit pleased, to say the least, upon spotting Leomon again as he let Shannon gently back on the ground. Shannon looked at Leomon with grateful eyes as her fellow Slayers and Scoobies rushed to her side, checking to make sure that she wasn't hurt.

"_Mein Gott_! It's Leomon!" Nightcrawler exclaimed.

"Leomon?" Faith and Wood repeated, murmuring. It was an unfamiliar name if you weren't used to saying it.

"You've got a lot of nerve showing your furry face here again after what you did to Raven!" Scarlet Witch snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously and her hands crackling with a blue luminescence.

"Scarlet Witch, don't be rude! He just helped us!" Brittany protested.

The Charmed Ones and the Slayers and the Scoobies were puzzled to say the least. Dana, in a rather harsh and disturbingly eager voice, "So, can we kill him? Or kill the mutants?"

"That's not funny!" snapped Jean, reprimanding Dana with her hands on her hips in an annoyed voice, "Keep in mind that we helped you, so you better act civil if you know what's good for you! We're not your enemies!"

"Uh…is the lion a friend of yours?" Paige asked dubiously, changing the subject and unsure if even the strangers themselves had a definite answer. Forge nervously coughed as he answered while some of the X-Men just sent Paige poisonous glares.

"Well, I _guess_ you could say he's a friend," the inventor admitted.

"Don't kid yourself, Forge!" Cyclops snapped as he brought a hand to his visor, ready to blast the digital soldier where he stood, "We don't know anything about him, and for all we can speculate, he could be trying to manipulate us like the Hellfire Club! Heck, he might even be a spy for the Organization! X-Men, don't let him leave!"

"_Ach!_ Cyclops, are you insane? We can't treat Leomon like a prisoner! He helped us!" Nightcrawler argued. Leomon's eyes turned artic as he glared at Cyclops.

"Word of advice, Cyclops: I have saved you and your pathetic band of friends and allies **three** times by now, so I expect you to shut up and remove whatever stick that was lodged up your rear end if you truly know what's good for you."

Several Misfits (Lance most noticeably) sniggered at this softly, and Cyclops grew even madder.

"So why _are_ you even here?" Rina asked none too gently, frowning at the sudden thought that the lion warrior's timing was awfully convenient.

"Who cares why he's here?" snapped Rogue as she flew into the air, face level with the lion, making a fist, "He's here and he's not welcome, and God knows I've been wanted to return the favor of what he did to me in Jump City and what he did to Raven! And I **know** I could use a new fur rug in my room!"

"Rogue!" Storm chastised.

The lion snorted at the girl, "Unless you wish to find out how thick the walls are here, X-Man, you _will_ keep your distance from me."

"Just try it and die, furball!" Wolverine snarled as he and X23 released their adamantium claws with a bloodcurdling _shikt_, and the Slayers, despite what they have seen and witnessed before in the past, couldn't help but marvel and feel a bit intimidated at the two feral mutants.

"So…we can attack him?" Dana asked again, now getting hotheaded and overenthusiastic to fight some more as she eagerly kept fingering her knife. Kurt gave Dana a rather dirty look.

"Can you keep her under control? _Mein Gott_, she even tried to stake **me**! And after I _helped_ her!" the blue furred mutant snapped. Kennedy didn't like the way Kurt voiced that sentence, and the Slayer placed her hands on her hips, defensive.

"Hey, she's not an animal, and if she sees something that _looks_ like a baddie or a demon, then of course she'd stab first and ask questions later! You can't blame her!" she retorted.

"Still, she like owes him an apology!" Shadowcat snapped. Dana then gave both Kurt and Kitty a particular rude gesture with her middle finger, sneering. Andrew then timidly explained to the X-Men before they could take offense and before a riot would break out (and really, Kurt and Kitty looked ready to reach out and pound Dana flat).

"Dana's not really social, so don't take what she says too personally. She's just trying to learn how to interact with people, and she's learning. Please, don't be mad with her! She just doesn't know how to relate with others!" Andrew said.

Dana then unceremoniously punched Andrew hard in the gut, causing him to change whatever he was going to remark into a fit of whimpering and groaning as she snarled, sounding like a broken record, "I don't need you to speak for me, you geek! _So can we attack the lion or not?"_

"**Don't** attack him! Leomon's a friend! He's a good guy!" Avalanche yelled immediately afterwards, holding out a hand to cease the girls before they could decide to blitz Leomon. Cyclops immediately rebutted this.

"No, you **can** attack him! He's evil!" Cyclops snapped, and Lance immediately became incredibly defensive of Leomon as he went toe to toe with the X-Men leader.

"Stuff it, Summers! Leomon's good!" Avalanche snarled.

"No, he's evil!" Cyclops growled.

"Good!"

"Evil!"

"**Good!**"

"**Evil!**"

"If you want to attack Leomon, you get through me first, X-Geek!" Lance threatened as he then brutally shoved Cyclops backward.

"Oh, with pleasure! This way I can give _two_ jerks exactly what they deserve!" Scott snapped, giving in to his anger as his hand went up to his visor, eager for retaliation, but the Professor and Ororo jumped in.

"That's enough! Cyclops, you certainly know better than that!" Xavier yelled from his wheelchair, his face red and certainly angrier and more annoyed than Jean had seen him most times before in the past.

"Stop this at once! Both of you!" Ororo yelled, placing a hand in between the two quarreling mutants as a flag to cease and desist.

There was only a tense silence for a few seconds. Then Shannon then said from the sidelines, acting as a tiebreaker.

The Slayer stated, "You guys…if Leomon was evil, he wouldn't have saved me. I owe him my life. And if he was a baddie, we'd get a feeling about him, remember?"

Wood and Faith had to concede that Shannon had a point. All Slayers could detect and inwardly sense any malicious forces sent by the first, and though the Heartless was certainly foreboding and chilling, from the apparent looks from the other Slayers (save the frowning and disturbed Dana), not a single one of the girls felt the need to be hostile at the strange Goliath who had assisted them. Even Kennedy, one of the most cautious and provocative of the bunch, turned to Faith and sighed, nodding her head.

"I don't like him, but I don't sense anything about this guy," the girl confessed. Piper then narrowed her eyes in her trademark icy-glare at the lion.

"We'll see about that," she said, and with a flick of both her hands, Piper froze Leomon with her powers. She expected Leomon to be trapped in temporal stasis, so she felt her jaw drop as Leomon rumbled deep from his throat as he felt the magic all around him…but it failed to freeze him. There he still stood just as dangerous and mobile and animated as ever.

"Trying to freeze me, witch? I hate to disappoint you, but you're not _that_ powerful," Leomon growled, and Piper took a step backwards as her sisters gaped.

"No way!" breathed Paige loudly.

"What did she do? What did he mean by freezing him? I don't see any ice," Bobby asked, confused, and Phoebe explained to the X-Men in a rush, temporarily forgetting their previous spat.

"My sister has the power to freeze time, but unlike your powers, she can only freeze bad witches, evil entities or mortals! Anything that isn't evil and that's magical, you know, good magic, she can't use her abilities to stop time and freeze them! And Piper's strong enough to stop bad immortals and Externals! So if Leomon _can't_ be frozen…!"

She trailed off, but Andrew finished it for the middle sister in a soft voice, catching on.

"Then that means Leomon isn't evil and that he's very powerful like Gandalf from 'Lord of the Rings'," Andrew murmured. Everyone turned to Cyclops who was now utterly fuming, humiliated at being shot down with this logic (and who could blame him?).

"Well…" Cyclops griped, his face now beet-red at the prospect of admitting that Avalanche was right but still adamantly stubborn, "Leomon's not evil, **but he's not on our side!**"

Wood turned to Roadblock for confirmation, and though the Joe wished he could argue the side a bit, when it came down to it, the teenager had a valid point. Roadblock said with some guilt, "Cyclops' judgment, you can trust. Leomon helps from time to time, but he's not one of us. He may have stopped that Heartless, but who he works for is anyone's guess. Before he gave that creature a whirl, Leomon tried to assassinate an innocent girl."

At this assertion, the Slayers and the Charmed Ones looked back at Leomon rather accusingly while Leomon just remained stonily impassive, his arms folded across his chest and looked at them with narrowed yet condescending eyes. Well, except Shannon of course, and she was shocked when Wood was reaching for another set of shuriken underneath his coat.

"Wood! What are you doing? He's not an enemy! He saved my life!" Shannon protested heatedly, nearly outraged. Leomon then shot the African-American Watcher a piercing glare that immediately made the man, though he had no idea why, freeze in his tracks.

"I assure you, Watcher," Leomon rumbled deeply, a corner of his mouth bared and showing teeth, "that if you attack me, you will be dead before you even hit the ground. I'm not evil, but that doesn't mean I won't rip you apart if you even start anything foolish."

"Funny thing, flea-farm, I was about to say the same thing to you," Faith said simply as she aimed her crossbow with a loaded shaft right at the spot between Leomon's eyes. Roadblock then aimed his machine gun at the Digimon, his face now stern and annoyed and instantly defending Wood.

"You can't take all of us, not in a fair fight, so it'd be easiest if you try to remain polite. I can't say it's a coincidence that you'd just appear, so tell us what the heck you're doing here," the Joe rhymed.

Rona, disturbed, asked no one in particular, "Uh…does he _always_ talk like that? Like he's some sort of poet?"

"You get used to it, yo," Toad replied, shrugging.

Leomon replied coolly to Roadblock, "First of all, to help kill that Heartless to make sure it couldn't endanger innocents since it was apparent that none of you, Slayers and Charmed Ones included, were powerful and skilled enough to stop this creation."

Several of the Slayers, especially Kennedy and Faith, and Piper seemed infuriated at the hidden barb, but before any of them could say a scathing retort, Leomon's next statement surprised everyone.

"And secondly, I have a message of warning for the Halliwells **and** the Slayers, since they are now involved in this."

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige looked startled as Leomon then turned to the Charmed Ones while Wood, Andrew, Willow, and the other Slayers perked up. It wasn't every day they get a message or an omen of caution to help them beforehand, so out of respect and curiosity, they and the other allies remained quiet.

"I was told to warn you in case I was not able to halt the Armageddon of Trigon," the feline said in his baritone voice, "You three are in terrible danger, for the Organization is now targeting you alongside the Hellfire Club for their plans in destroying the world and all life beyond. And this may be a battle you cannot win, or at least not entirely."

Piper felt her blood run cold at this statement. She immediately thought of Leo, Wyatt, and Chris, and the thought of them being in grave jeopardy and with no definite and concrete assertion that they would triumph was certainly terrifying. And considering that this practically confirmed what the Batman and General Hawk cautioned them of two days ago, Piper felt even more helpless (and coincidentally, she was inwardly cursing Batman and Hawk for involving them in further danger, even though it was by no way any fault of theirs). Paige shivered a bit, but as much as she tried to rationalize the possibility that Leomon may not be an ally, she felt herself be drawn into his aura and presence. He was dangerous…but he was good as well. Phoebe's mind was crystal clear, however, and she rummaged through all the recent occurrences of the following two weeks as she then asked, "Um…Mr. – uh…Mr. – um…"

"Leomon. My name is Leomon, Phoebe," the behemoth repeated emotionlessly, realizing the witch was lapsing on his name.

"Leomon, is there a way to stop the Gathering of Twilight?" Phoebe asked, eager for that one shred of hope. The Joes and the elder X-Men immediately paid closer attention; that was also a similar question that had been plaguing them for the past several days, and Willow made a small squeak of surprise. Leomon looked a little downcast and guilty as his gaze fell.

"Before, I would have said yes, it could have been stopped," Leomon answered solemnly and grimly, "But due to recent events and my past actions…I do not know. There's a possibility that it can't, that it's too far in motion to be stopped, that no matter what happens now, the Gathering of Twilight will be on Earth."

The Misfits, X-Men, and Joes realized what the lion was referring to.

"You did the right thing, Leomon," Pietro said fiercely, for once acting serious, "It wasn't worth Raven's life to sacrifice her to save the world! And whoever your boss is, he isn't always right you know!"

Wood turned a questioning gaze to the mutants, but Spirit and Blind Master shook their heads.

"We'll explain later," Spirit said curtly.

"The…the Organization?" Paige stammered, "But…but why are they after us? We've never dealt or directly fought with anyone from this Organization before in the past! We don't know anything about them! So why are they after us?"

"It's not you they are after, but the Nexus, Paige," the lion clarified with a frown before he turned to Willow and said, "And I believe you are the one named Willow Rosenburg, correct?"

Willow nodded, and to her fear and slight surprise, Leomon actually strode over and knelt down on one knee so that he could have a better way to be eye level with the red-haired witch (not that it was much good since even on bended knee, the Digital warrior was still twice her height). Blind Master was confused until it came to him; he was kneeling down to be able to make it less threatening and intimidating for the girl. And the ninja master could detect that Willow was certainly nervous; her aura was fluctuating madly and her heart was rapidly beating. For a moment, Kennedy was alarmed that the lion was going to hurt Willow.

"Keep your distance from Willow, or I'll _neuter _you, fang face!" Kennedy snarled, her hands ready to use her twin short-swords. Yet the red-haired Wiccan placed a clammy hand on her Slayer's shoulder, silently telling the girl to let the lion speak and to give him a chance. Leomon nodded gratefully at Willow before he delivered his message.

"The voice in your dream has said that it is coming, and it is true. The Gathering grows closer. Beware of the angel with the wings of darkness for you will have to ultimately fight her in the upcoming battle," Leomon rumbled softly. Willow's eyes grew wider at the mention of the Gathering and how it was linked to her dreams that she had for the past week. And Batgirl's eyes widened in shock. The angel with the wings of darkness? It was the very same thing Supergirl said before she succumbed to the coma.

"How…how did you know about the voice I've been hearing in my dreams? And why…why me? Is it because of the experiment? Is the angel linked to Experiment 666?" Willow gasped, and Leomon's eyes had a touch of compassion underneath the steel. Phoebe, Piper, ands Paige's respective heads perked up at the mention of the Experiment of the Beast.

The lion soldier said, "No, the angel is separate from the Experiment to come at the Gathering, but she is still just as dangerous. Be prepared to fight her with all the strength you can muster, for she will be very powerful."

"And _how_ is it you know of this?" Kennedy said suspiciously, already starting to make up her mind that Leomon was not to be trusted, "Are you trying to set us up so that we'll take the fall for a fight you're probably too cowardly to do yourself?"

"I wouldn't be surprised since the overgrown furball's done it before," Rogue spat, her memories at what Leomon did to Raven now starting to rile her up.

"That's a lie, and you know it, Rogue!" snapped Sunspot in response, surprising some of the X-Men nearby. Leomon ignored them as he looked directly into Kennedy's eyes, and she could tell that Leomon was deadly serious.

"No, but I was told that Willow may be one of the few forces who can be powerful enough to fight the angel to come, otherwise it will mean the deaths of some of her friends and those she cares about."

"Told be whom, bub?" Wolverine said rather darkly, and Leomon just glared at Wolverine as he rose back up into his full standing position.

"Another time, Wolverine," and then Leomon turned to Willow one last time as he hinted mysteriously, "I know you are apprehensive, but you will not fight alone, Willow. I promise you that…"

And with that, Leomon gave a mighty jump before he disappeared over the rooftops of the nearby skyscrapers and vanished in the night sky.

"He is so cool!" Andrew marveled, his eyes glassy and shining with excitement. Low Light sighed before he turned to the blond teen.

"Unfortunately, he left before he could tell us everything he knows about the Gathering, kid," the Joe said worriedly, "And Leomon knows more than what he's telling us, but we have no way of finding out everything he knows about the Organization or the Hellfire Club's plans since the giant prick isn't willing to trust us with his secrets."

"The Organization?" Caridad asked, cocking her head to the side slightly.

"They're trying to destroy the world by bringing in the Heartless to Earth. We don't know who they are or where they've come from, but from what we can tell, they're very powerful and very influential. The Heartless are these supernatural creatures of darkness, and coincidentally, it was a Heartless we just fought. You can tell by that black-and-red symbol of the crossed out heart on their bodies. We could learn more about this future battle, but unfortunately, Leomon won't tell us and we have no way to track him down," Cover Girl explained. Batgirl shook her head, smiling smugly as she held up a black device.

"Not to worry," Batgirl explained, "I shot a Bat-Tracer on Leomon when he wasn't looking, and now that the bug's on him, I can use the Bat-Wave to track down his movements. Leomon's now on my radar."

"Wow, groovy!" Forge marveled, but then Batgirl's face crinkled in shock as she looked at the radar screen, befuddled.

"Batgirl, what's wrong?" Jean asked, and Batgirl looked up to the mutants and Slayers and Charmed Ones in astonishment and confusion.

"I don't understand, but the Bat-Wave says that Leomon's still here! It says he's still in the alley with us!" Batgirl protested, and then Quinn's sharp eyes caught a familiar object on the ground next to her.

"Uh, Batgirl? Hate to burst your bubble, but…" the Triplet sister said hesitantly as she knelt down and picked up the object before holding it in plain view for everyone. It was the black, bat-shaped tracer; Leomon has detached it from his body reticently before he left without anyone seeing him. Shipwreck cursed.

"Damn, he's good," the Joe sailor half-marveled. Batgirl felt her irritation at Leomon grow at the warrior getting an one-up on her. Roadblock and Spirit however just got off the cell-phone with General Hawk as they informed him briefly of the situation.

Spirit turned to Piper, Phoebe, and Paige as he said, "Halliwells, we just got off the phone with General Hawk and he says all of us, Batgirl, the Misfits, the Joes, and the X-Men should reconvene at your manor, if you're willing. With the Heartless coming after you three, you may need to thoroughly discuss what you talked about last time. We can teleport over to your house considering that Hawk had already had Mainframe program to coordinates to your manor through the Mass Device yesterday."

Piper looked like she was going to explode or die of a heart attack as her face turned purple, and she shouted, "**_Excuse me?_** Just who the hell does Hawk think he is to volunteer **_my_** house and home as a meeting place for all of you?"

"Piper!" scolded Phoebe harshly as she then turned to the two Joes and replied, "Yes, we'll help in any way we can, and our home is open for all of you. It'll be a tight squeeze, but we can manage."

"You've got to be like kidding me!" Kitty yelled at Blind Master and Spirit, "Are you guys like forgetting that she killed Jubilee's parents? Aren't you going to like arrest her? She totally committed murder! She's evil! And yet you want us to go to her house?"

"Oh, will you drop it?" Phoebe growled, wishing she could punch Shadowcat's lights out, "I told you that I **didn't** kill that girl's parents! She's lying or obviously mistaken!"

"Funny, the only liar I see is the one right in front of us!" Iceman snarled, locking his gaze directly at the Halliwell. Piper and Paige looked ready to slap Bobby in the face hard for that remark, but then Althea and Xi stepped in.

"That's enough! Now's not the time to be fighting, especially since the last battle with the Heartless is sure to draw the attention of the police! They're probably already on their way here!" Wavedancer snapped.

"And remember the law of due process: _a person is innocent until proven guilty_," Xi pointed out calmly, but if anything, that just made several of the X-Men even madder.

"Oh what a surprise! **Of course** the Misfits would take the side of a murderer!" Jean said in an acidic and sarcastic tone of voice, inflamed at how they didn't seem to be convinced at the concrete evidence from Jubilee's mind and grief that thoroughly convinced her beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Halliwells were evil and plotting against them. Wanda whirled on Jean angrily.

"Hey, not everything is what it appears to be, Miss Snob-of-the-Year!" Scarlet Witch growled.

"Oh please, if it was an X-Man who died, you'd naturally be jumping up and down with joy!" Jean retorted.

"That was a low blow, Red!" Toad snapped from the sidelines, and Justin then tried to act as a peacekeeper as he tried to step in between the two arguing girls.

Whitelighter begged, "Please stop, you two. We shouldn't be fighting, and Jean didn't mean it, Wanda. She's just angry and upset that Jubilee - "

"Oh, will you just shut up, Whitelighter?" Jean snarled, her eyes searing into the adolescent, "Stop trying to play the Mr. Nice-Guy act because it's as annoying as hell to watch you act like a sensitive nimrod when you're just as much as a delinquent as the rest of your psychotic family!"

"Jean, that's enough!" Nightcrawler snapped, now furious and coming to Justin's defense, "Leave him alone!"

"I don't need you to stick up for my team, Kurt! **So butt out!**" Wanda shouted.

"Don't talk to Nightcrawler like that!" Jean retorted.

"**_Then get out of my face!_**" Scarlet Witch ordered.

"**_When you get yours out of mine!_**" Jean shot back in just as fierce of a command as she flicked her long hair out of her face and inadvertently smacked Wanda in the mouth with her tresses. It was purely accidental and unintentional, but it was enough for the goth as she retaliated and gave Jean a shove. Gasping and then suddenly furious, Jean shoved the female Misfit back even harder, nearly causing Scarlet Witch to topple over backwards. Wanda then grabbed Jean in a half-Nelson and there was plenty of hair pulling and shrieking on both sides as Toad, Whitelighter, Nightcrawler, and Forge grabbed the two girls and tried to pry their respective teammates apart.

"Stop it, yo!" gasped Toad as he tried to prevent Wanda from using her fist.

"Jean, stop! This isn't cool!" Forge cried out as he got accidentally scratched by Jean's nails.

"**That's enough, both of you!**" and Wanda and Jean both felt their wrist being painfully seized by a hand with a grip of iron, and both the teenage girls ceased their brawling as they looked up to see a livid and angry Shipwreck, glaring like a stern father. Shipwreck continued, growling and incensed while the other four boys backed off.

"Now listen here: if the two of you can't stop, then _both_ of your are going to be sent to the Pit for KP duty and you can forget about briefing with the Halliwells and General Hawk! We've got enough worries about the Heartless and the Gathering to deal with something stupid like this! And this is coming from _moi_, the King of Stupidity! So you two have a choice! Either I let you both go and you can remain quiet until we get back to base, or I send the **both** of you to the galleys at the Pit where you can help B.A. peel potatoes for the next week!"

"You can't! You don't have any authority to punish me!" Jean protested heatedly, and Shipwreck leaned his face close to hers so that Jean could look directly into his livid and withering gaze.

"Watch me," he growled, "And I can assure you that Charley and Stormy will agree that we're all sick of this fighting between both groups."

Jean looked pleadingly at the Professor and Ororo from the sidelines, but she saw that Shipwreck was telling the truth. The Professor looked on unsympathetically while making a steeple with his hands, and Ororo shook her head, letting the student know that she acceded with Shipwreck wholeheartedly (as shocking as that sounded). Jean's face flushed from embarrassment before she lowered her gaze to the floor, and upon taking that as an answer, Shipwreck released the two, and Scarlet Witch and Jean just backed away from each other, rubbing their wrists and glaring daggers, but thankfully saying nothing.

Spirit then faced Xavier and Wolverine, saying, "Hawk says the Halliwells can be trusted, and until we get to the bottom of this with Jubilee, we can't just accuse the three of something we haven't looked into yet. I know you trust the testimony of Jubilee, and I don't blame you for I do agree she wouldn't lie about this, but like Scarlet Witch said, things aren't always what they appear. It could be a possibility that they're being framed, so until we know more, don't act so hostile to them since they are fully cooperative with us."

Rina grumbled under her breath, but thankfully she didn't say anything. Logan, still unwilling to let it go, turned to the Charmed Ones and growled, "Just remember to not try anything funny. I'll be keeping my eye on you three witches."

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you, X-Man," Piper growled, fantasizing the thought of using her powers on the stubborn jerk.

Roadblock then turned to the Slayers and Scoobies and said in a serious tone, "Also, whoever you girls are…you're welcome to come as well. Not only does the Heartless threat endanger you, but I have the feeling that it may be helpful if we could brief you guys, especially since we've dealt with Leomon and the Organization before in the past. And I guess it's safe to say that you want to protect the Earth from getting destroyed too. And I know Wood, so any friend of his is a friend of mine."

"In other words, we could assist each other in this since we have the same common enemy," Blind Master emphasized.

"Absolutely no way in hell - !" Piper began when she heard this, but Paige pinched her sister hard on the arm as a warning to shut her up.

"Piper, now's not the time! We want to prove to them that we're good and that we didn't murder anyone, right? Well, let's start by showing them we have nothing to hide!" Paige retorted.

"I dunno if we can trust them, you guys," Rona whispered fiercely in the meanwhile, "How do we know that the mutants and the Joes can be confided with our secrets? How do we know they're not working for the Initiative or Wolfram and Hart or some other government group that just wants to see us dead or use us as their own foot soldiers? And we _still_ don't know if the Charmed Ones really aren't siding with the Turok-Han!"

Wood looked at Roadblock for a minute, contemplating, before he replied, "No, I think we **can** trust them. Rona, I've known Marvin since we were kids, and despite our past dealings with the military, G.I. Joe is different. I know I've had reservations about mutants and the Joes before in the past, but Marvin wouldn't associate himself with them if this General Hawk was a bigot and a jerk. He's a good judge of character."

"People change, Wood," Rona highlighted flatly.

"Rona, don't be rude!" Vi scolded as she swatted her friend lightly on the arm, "They're offering to let us know what's going on! They're not obligated to do it, and yet they're offering us! I think this shows that they're good!"

Caridad was silent but then she turned to Faith and asked, "Faith, what do you think? You're the eldest Slayer, so what's your opinion on this?"

It wasn't surprising that Caridad turned to Faith for the deciding vote considering that Faith was the original Slayer and co-leader of the next generation along with Buffy. Not to mention that the other girls looked up to Faith as sort of the "cool aunt" parental figure, so in that case, Faith earned much respect and trust from the other girls. Faith looked at the others before she grinned, eager for more adventure.

"Hey, there's not baddies, so it's cool. And besides, isn't the whole point of this mission's to learn what we can about this Experiment 666?"

That settled it, and Willow turned to the Joes and agreed, "We'll go with you. You helped us fight in that battle, so we decided we can trust you for now."

Blind Master and Roadblock smiled. Then Chao-Ahn's annoyed voice rang out as she impatiently spoke in irritated Cantonese, "Will someone please tell me what's going on? I never get to know what is happening to us!"

Before Shannon and Caridad could find the words, Blob overheard the Slayer from Shanghai and he smiled before he spoke in Cantonese, "We're going to the house of the Halliwells not far from here so that we can brief everyone about the new evil that we're fighting and plan a strategy to protect the world."

Chao-Ahn's eyes grew bright, her face lighting up gratefully at the obese mutant, as she exclaimed, "Yes! Finally, **someone** who can speak my language!"

The other Slayers, X-Men, and Misfits were staring at Blob with great astonishment. Daria exclaimed, "Blob, I didn't know you could speak Chinese!"

Fred grinned as he stated, "You never asked. Didn't you guys ever wonder why I always knew what to say whenever we do takeout Chinese food? I picked it up enough when I was living on Granny's farm when I was a kid, and we had to hide a couple of Chinese acrobats from the law in our barn."

"Uh…Chinese acrobats?" Wood asked, perplexed.

"Yeah, but it wasn't their fault! They had no idea that illegal fireworks laws were in effect at the time, and they didn't mean to blow up the police station considering that my Aunt Ralph was the one who accidentally lit the fuse when he threw away his cigarette."

"Illegal fireworks?" Kennedy asked in a deadpanned voice, her face now humorously showing a brilliant and priceless display of confusion, disbelief, and wariness.

"**_Aunt_** Ralph?" echoed Andrew, his left eyebrow twitching.

"Yeah, Aunt Ralph met them when they were looking for work at his sideshow, and he brought them in considering that he needed a replacement act to make up for our dancing elephant Petunia when she ran off with one of the circus tigers to go live in the forest. But it was a good thing. Last time we checked, they're happily living with some cult in the Midwest named the 'Saint Francis of Animal Husbandry'," Fred explained, but if anything, this just disturbed the Slayers and Scoobies even more.

"He's got to be making this up," Caridad uttered before she turned to the X-Men and Misfits, begging, "**Please** tell me he's making this up and that he's delusional."

The X-Men and Misfits shook their heads, and Althea clarified, "We've met his relatives. They really **are** like this."

"It's official," Rona groaned as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, "We've met people who are weirder and stranger than all the demons, vamps, and baddies put together."

Then Chao-Ahn was saying something rather fervently and emotionally, pointing at the other Slayers in an accusatory manner, as she spoke to Fred.

"What did she say, Blob?" Dragonfly asked when Chao-Ahn was finished. Fred has the most peculiar expression on his face as he turned to the Slayers, Wood, Andrew, and Willow.

"Didn't you know Chao-Ahn's lactose intolerant? She says you've been constantly trying to poison her with milk and dairy foods," the large mutant teenager remarked, and a bit taken aback, all of Chao-Ahn's friends and comrades shook their heads or gave blank expressions of puzzlement.

"You know, this explains why Chao-Ahn threatened to bash our heads in at the airport if we offered her ice cream one more time," Shannon mused, reflecting back. Althea sighed as she swatted Fred's arm.

"C'mon, we'd better get over there and stop lollygagging before the cops show up from all the ruckus we caused," she said, and indeed, the heroes could hear the distinct wail of sirens in the background, the police now suddenly coming to the very place of battle, and it would be a little hard to explain to the cops why a bunch of mutants and humans were at a supernatural crime scene. The Misfits and the Joes grabbed on to as many as they could, and with a flash, the Mass Device teleported all the mutants, the Joes, the Charmed Ones, the Scoobies, and the Slayers away just as the first squad car drove up.

Unfortunately, not a single one of the warriors and soldiers noticed a pair of people looking at the scene with awestruck eyes, filming the entire debacle of the supernatural from the lens of an extremely powerful video-camera from a rooftop of a building two lots over with shock, disbelief, and excitement.

"Oh my God," gasped the KTSF reporter, Elana Jimenez as she held her hands to her mouth, her microphone now forgotten as it was tightly clasped in her sweaty palms. Indeed, it was the only thing she had been able to utter for the past several minutes, her breath caught in her throat, as she and her cameraman, Wilson, just viewed the scene in trepidation and wonderment.

"Whoa, this will win us the Pulitzer prize for sure!" Wilson gasped as he focused on the image of the San Francisco police force scourging the devastated area, "I guess that tip Geoffrey got was legit!"

"Are they all…you know, mutants?" Elana asked, unable to still convince herself that what she had just witnessed was no illusion. Wilson shook his head.

"I can see why you'd think that considering that I recognize some of them as the X-Men and the Misfits that we've been hearing about," Wilson rationalized as he turned off the camera, shaking with excitement, "But those guys with the weapons and guns are from G.I. Joe! As for those strange girls, I don't know…we're too far away to record any noise or sound from the battle scene. But whatever that huge black thing was and whatever that lion is, I'd really doubt that they're mutants! They don't even look anything remotely human, and it's possible that they're aliens, like those freaks in the Justice League! But whatever they are, we've got it! **We've got it on film!** Oh man, Geoff's gonna flip out when he sees this! Call him right now!"

Elana phoned the number on her speed-dial as she and Wilson rushed down the stairs, and Geoff picked it up before the first ring ended.

"Hello?" the editor asked, breathless and anxious.

"We got it, Geoff! Get the news crew and the staff at KTSF! We've got a scoop, the biggest scoop in American media history since the mutants got outed at the Sentinel incident and Nixon's involvement with Watergate! We don't know exactly what we got, but it's huge!" Elana gasped.

"Great! Take it to KTSF right away! We already have a buyer for the licensing and primary usage rights of our footage!" Geoffrey exclaimed, and Elana frowned, confused at the unorthodox sequence of the process. Usually, all the editors would review any footage and determine its validity and credibility before deciding to air it and inform other media and news stations for a chance of using the footage for their news segment for a price, of course.

"We have a buyer **_already_**?" repeated Elana, incredulous.

Geoffrey's smile grew so wide, it threatened to split his face as he spoke on the phone, "Yes, and they're willing to pay us two million dollars per use of our footage in their licensing agreement. Elana, don't you see? **What you have is gold!** This is one of those offers you _can't_ refuse!"

"Two…_two_ million?" gasped Elana, repeating it out loud and scarcely believing it. Not even the footage of the Pope's benediction or the outing of the mutants via Trask's Sentinel gained **_this_** much money in revenue for usage and licensing. And the price was for every use of the footage on any station, no matter how mundane, limited or unknown it was. And two million dollars multiplied by every time the footage Wilson got was shown on TV or displayed in a newspaper front page…

An entire day of copyrights alone would be enough to skyrocket the KTSF station to the top news station of the entire world, if not the most lucrative.

Wilson heard her, and he too stopped in astonishment and swore out loud.

"**_Two million?_** _Jesus H. Christ_, who's buying this? The President of the United States?" Wilson exclaimed. Geoffrey apparently heard him from the sensitive reception of the mouthpiece.

"Better," Geoffrey clarified with an eager and wonderful smile, "An interested benefactor from the lucrative branch of Lexcorp Media…"

**Author's Notes: Next Friday, tension rises between all groups as it is apparent no one knows which side is telling the truth, but things get worse for the Charmed Ones when the Slayers, the X-Men, the Joes, Batgirl and the Misfits argue their case. And Piper finally snaps when she and the others find out who Justin's real father is! Things are going to get ugly in the chapter "Not Exactly An Ideal First Meeting, Is It?", but until then, read, enjoy, and review! And Merry Christmas!**


	6. Not Exactly An Ideal First Meeting, Is I

**CHAPTER 6: Not Exactly An Ideal First Meeting, Is It?**

"Talk about tense," murmured Low Light to Cover Girl and Spirit as they all stood side by side against the wall while watching the scene unfold on the couches and chairs in the living room of the Halliwell Manor. Still, despite the personal, homey touches in the room like Piper's dried-flowers assortments and Paige's scented candles giving off aromas of cinnamon and vanilla, it didn't do anything to decrease the suspicion, discomfort, and hostility between most of the inhabitants as they either glared hatefully with accusing and silent dislike or nervously looked at the relative strangers with meek glances. Even Leo was sitting tentatively on the arm of the couch next to his wife, sulking. He wasn't pleased when he learned who was coming to their house for an unwelcome visit. Thankfully, no one said anything offensive or accusatory as they waited for General Hawk and Batman to arrive (and Hawk ordered the Joes none too gently to do their best to prevent them from killing each other while he alerted Batman by his communicator to the Watchtower).

"Yeah, I know. And I thought things between the Misfits and the X-Men could be ugly at times," whispered Cover Girl, her eyes troubled, "Now we have two unknown groups, one is a family called the Halliwells who are Wiccans, and the other is the strangest assortment of people I've ever seen that somehow, by pure luck, Roadblock knows. And _these_ girls are armed to the teeth with knives, stakes, and crossbows, almost like they were planning to fight in some medieval war or as a reenactment from 'Lord of the Rings'. I don't know if I'm the only one, but I have a feeling that these girls and Marvin's friend aren't here by accident. That Heartless attacked them for a reason. I'm sure of it."

"I know, Courtney, but for now, let's just concentrate on making sure that the kids don't kill the Halliwells or each other before the General gets here," Low Light said.

"Not everyone is acting distant and defensive, Cover Girl," Spirit added, a smile playing on his tanned face, "Take a look: some of the Misfits and X-Men are actually already talking with some of the teens in that group that came with Marvin's friend, the one I believe is named Wood."

And indeed, what the Native-American Joe soldier said was true. Fred and the Slayer, Chao-Ahn, were having a rather animated discussion in Cantonese, and though exactly what they were discussing about was anyone's guess, Chao-Ahn and Blob were laughing and chatting animatedly like they were old friends. Chao-Ahn now didn't seem the least bit wary of being in the presence of mutants, and likewise, Blob didn't find it strange to be in the company of a vampire slayer. In fact, their talk was probably the loudest in the room, the way they were talking quickly in foreign tongues, making hand-gestures, and guffawing at private jokes made the Misfit and the Slayer a bit out of place in the tense environment. Unbeknownst to Fred and Chao-Ahn, Lina was glaring at the Chinese girl, trying to willfully melt her with her heated staring. It was clear to several of the others sitting next to the insect-adolescent that she was jealous. Bobby, who was sitting next to her, decided to wickedly add some gasoline to the fires as he leaned over and made a seemingly casual observation.

"Wow, he looks happy," Bobby remarked, "Nice to know Fred's so nice to other people when we need it."

"A bit _too_ nice if you ask me, Bobby," Lina hissed as her scowl deepened, her teeth clenching against each other.

Meanwhile, Caridad, Rona, Vi, Dana, and Shannon were being forced to endure another one of Andrew's tireless and enthusiastic rants, but to make matters worse for them (and more enjoyable for Andrew) was the fact that he now was amiably and excitedly discussing the most mundane subjects with Kurt, Todd, and Xi. Andrew and the three mutant teenagers immediately caught on once they arrived at the manor. Nightcrawler, Toad, and Xi were surprised to see that Andrew was a fan of the X-Men and Misfits, and Andrew was more so pleased when he found out that they were quite knowledgeable in similar interests, anywhere from science-fiction movies to video games to the weirdest debates.

In other words, none of the four would shut up.

"I'm telling you, yo, that there is no way Darth Vader would ever win in a battle against Godzilla!" Toad cried out eagerly, "I mean, hello? The Force doesn't work on huge radioactive lizards who can incinerate Darth Vader in a flash and who doesn't have a human mind for Vader to even manipulate!"

"But he doesn't need it, Toad!" Nightcrawler heatedly argued, "All Darth Vader would have to do is summon his Death Star and Star-Trooper armies to wipe out Godzilla easily! And besides, Darth Vader is half-machine, so I'd doubt that he'd get hurt very badly from Godzilla's radioactive fire! He could simply dodge it!"

"Actually, I've been wondering about that," Xi remarked, "If Darth Vader is half-machine, then does he ever go to the bathroom? Does he ever eat or drink anything in that mode?"

Andrew then chipped in, "Funny you should mention that. I have talked with everyone from the Star Wars forum on the Internet about that, and in nowhere in the plans and blueprints of the Death Star do they have restrooms, even though they have a waste disposal containment center like the time when Leia, Luke, Hans Solo and Chewbacca got caught with that mutated worm! Isn't that weird? It's like one of those oversights on why there's no bathroom in the board game, 'Clue' or why we never see Mr. Boddy's face!"

"_Ich glaube, mich laust der Affe!_" Kurt marveled in German, his jaw dropping.

"You too?" Toad and Xi gasped with glee, "**_No way!_ **We've talked about that one for weeks!"

"And did you ever wonder what would happen if Star Wars and Star Trek ever met in some weird universe where their realities crossover and stuff? _Mein Gott!_ I'd pay to see Yoda meet up with Dr. Spock!" Kurt exclaimed.

"Are you kidding?" Andrew argued good-naturedly, "Darth Vader versus the Borg would be the biggest, most anticipated thing to see if the Star Trek and Star Wars universes ever meet! It would be the ultimate fan-wank in the history of fandom!"

"Actually, I think Darth Maul versus the Borg would have been a better match," Xi admitted.

The Slayers, understandably, were **not** having a good time, considering that it was quite difficult to ignore and block out their incessant and exuberant chatter that could make the voices of Alvin and the Chipmunks seem lethargic.

"Suddenly, I miss the days when it was **only** Andrew who talked about this," Caridad growled, feeling another headache coming on and wondering if she could get any aspirin from the Halliwells.

"Oh God, it's true," whined Vi, "Idiots and annoying people _do_ multiply!"

"Trust me, we like learned _that_ one a long time ago!" Kitty grumbled, overhearing the red-haired Slayer.

Shannon sighed wearily as she grabbed Dana's wrist before she could use her knife to eviscerate the four of them in a very gruesome way that would obviously leave some very messy body parts.

"No, Dana," Shannon warned, her voice steel.

The traumatized and scarred Slayer hissed jadedly, nearly begging and hysterical, "Oh come on, please? We won't miss them! And I'm naturally psychotic, so at least I _have_ an excuse! No one would blame me! **Oh come on!** Then at least let me kill _our_ geek! I'm sure Giles and Willow would get over the blond nimrod's death after a few weeks! **_Please?_ ** I can't take another minute of their incessant nerd-speak! I just want to make them shut up! Is that so wrong? At least let me cut out their tongues at least! They won't be able to talk then!"

"Hmmmmm…" Caridad mused, "It **is **tempting…"

"Caridad, this is no time for jokes!" Shannon snapped.

"I wasn't joking," Caridad groused flatly.

"Well this is turning out well," Rona muttered sarcastically, wincing as she rubbed her temples, "We go to San Francisco to investigate a new evil and instead, we run into a bunch of mutants and soldiers from G.I. Joe, nearly get killed by some creature of darkness called a 'Heartless', and to top it all off, we're forced to sit here and listen to four boys talk who sound like Andrew O.D'd on caffeine and sugar _in triplicate_! It's like Andrew on his worst day times four! Oh God, could this get any more unbearable?"

"_We're men!_" Kurt, Todd, Xi, and Andrew sang on cue, horribly off-key as they obliviously sang and had their fun as a singing quartet of a famous Mel Brooks parody, "_We're men in tights! We rob from the rich and give to the poor, that's right! We may look like sissies, but watch what you say or else we'll put out your lights! We're men, we're men in tights!_"

Apparently, the answer to Rona's question was "yes".

The Slayers could hear Wanda protesting heatedly to Lance and Fred, "See? **This** is what happens when we rent musical videos from Blockbuster! And I do **NOT** want another month like the time we rented '_Newsies_' and '_Moulin Rouge_'! Next time, **_no more musicals!_**"

Rona made a very big grimace before she sank her head to her knees and put her hands over her head, groaning.

"I hate my life…" she murmured as she was forced to endure Andrew squeaky and horrible singing.

"You **really** have to learn to stop asking dumb questions like that, Rona," groaned Vi as she wondered if Andrew had any dignity left in his body considering he never minded making himself look like a fool, "And right now, I wish someone would shoot me and get it over with so that I won't have to listen to this drabble."

"Better yet, we can shoot _them_," Caridad murmured, a wicked and disturbingly enthusiastic gleam in her eye, as she reached for Shannon's crossbow, "We have plenty of shafts to spare…"

"Oh, not you too, Caridad!" Shannon scolded as she snatched her crossbow out of her friend's reach.

"If it makes you feel any better, we feel for you," Roberto said as he overheard the Slayers' griping, "**Trust** me on this. You girls never had to endure karaoke nights at the X-Mansion where we live, that is when there aren't any explosions, fights, and fires. And you should have seen how fast we torched and broke the karaoke machine when Jamie tried singing his rendition of 'I Believe I Can Fly'."

At the same time, Wood and Roadblock were engaged in a somnolent yet long-awaited and refreshing talk, catching up. Faith listened on the sidelines, not saying anything but smiling inwardly to herself. It seemed that Robin immediately became five years younger upon seeing his old childhood friend, Marvin Hinton, the Joe solider who came with the Misfits. Apparently, Wood never took the time or the energy to piece together the facts and clues that the machine-gunner from G.I. Joe Roadblock was really his old friend and neighbor when Wood and his mother used to live in Mississippi before they moved to New York.

"I know I'm not going to ask what you're doing here," Roadblock rhymed with a chuckle, "But when this is all over, I'd love to catch up with you over a beer. It's been a long time, Wood, so any chance to see you again is just as good."

"I would have never guessed that you'd be a soldier for the army, Marvin," Wood smiled, his voice soft with the flashbacks of the times they rode their bikes over at the gulley, the times they traded baseball cards and ate candy until they were sick from the convenience stores, the times they camped out in the woods during the hot summer nights, catching fireflies and looking at the stars, and the time they went out on a wild ghost-hunt to explore the infamously haunted Goat Castle (much to their parents' chagrin).

"How's your mother doing? Lord knows how hard she'd take me by the ear whenever I didn't watch my words when we were kids," laughed Roadblock, and Faith felt her heart skip a beat. Marvin didn't know that Wood's mother was a Slayer who was killed in New York when Wood was young. Wood's face froze but still maintained the friendly, carefree appearance.

"She's fine," the Watcher murmured shortly before he took Faith's hand, "And Marvin, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Faith Lehane."

Marvin smiled as he shook Faith's hand, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you Faith."

"Likewise, Marv, and as long as you cool it down with the rhyming and stuff, we'll be cool. No offense, but all that poetry stuff's bound ta' drive anyone nuts if they listen to it all day."

Roadblock couldn't help but snort and laugh; the girl had some spunk and wasn't afraid to speak her mind, but in a way where she didn't mean anything spiteful or insulting by it. He said, "I only do it when things aren't so grim and serious, Faith."

"Then this is one of those times when things are really bad, isn't it?" Faith asked, detecting the sudden change in the tone of voice and noticing that the black soldier wasn't even using verse in his sentences anymore. The Joe nodded.

Thankfully, at that moment, Batgirl exhaled with relief when she saw Batman and General Hawk teleport directly into the living room of the Halliwells' house via the Mass Device, startling everyone as the two men appeared in thin air.

"Whoa! How'd you do that?" Kennedy exclaimed.

"G.I Joe has it's own secrets, Miss," Hawk said to the girl. Andrew, in the meantime, looked like he was going to drop dead in an orgasm of happiness as he gasped, his eyes twinkling, at Batman, another superhero who he greatly admired and fawned over.

"Oh…wow!" stammered the blond teen, "Batman! In the flesh! Oh…wow! Wow! Can I have your autograph?"

Batman did his best to wither the Watcher-in-training with a look for the thoughtless remark. Meanwhile, Piper, who was sitting with tongue-in-cheek, felt her temper rise and bubble precariously at the sight of the Gotham vigilante, and once again, she just wanted to tell him to leave and take his friends with him. Piper hissed, immediately springing up and instantly leaping at Batman and General Hawk's proverbial throats as she stood there, her fists clenched and shouting, "You two just _love_ ruining our lives, don't you? You just can't **ever** leave it alone!"

Batman was stony, showing absolutely no discomfort or sentiment in his face. Hawk felt a little more sympathetic for the Wiccan, however.

Hawk exhaled wearily as he said, "We did not plan on this happening, Piper. We had no idea that the Heartless would strike so soon. We didn't plan this to happen. It occurred entirely out of coincidence."

"Forgive us if we put a lot of faith in that statement, General," Leo grumbled, frowning.

"Whoa! You guys know the Dark Knight of Gotham City?" Rona asked, her voice a mixture of surprise and admiration as she watched this banter between the witch and the G.I. Joe general. Only Vi knew that Rona was also additionally an aficionado of Batman; if fact, he was her personal favorite out of the entire Justice League (but unlike Andrew, she had enough common sense to not act like an idiot over him).

"Unfortunately," spat Leo as he glared at Batman. Batman, as usual, didn't show any emotion on his face.

"Piper, let's just let them talk!" Phoebe protested as she stood up and tried to calm down her eldest sister, "General Hawk will straighten this all out! He's not like General Bragg! I'm sure he'll get to the bottom of this whole mess and find out what on Earth is going on with all this!"

"Yeah, and maybe once and for all, he'll be able to prove that ya' murdered Jubilee's parents," Rogue retorted snidely, and Phoebe heatedly snapped at the brown-and-white haired goth.

"**_Look, will you just shut up and drop it?_**" the middle Halliwell growled intently with enough force to knock down a brick wall.

"Don't tell her to shut up, you witch!" Rina snarled as she made a move to rise from her position on the easy-chair, but Logan kept her seated by forcibly pressing down on her shoulder.

"Watch it, you," Leo growled, sizing up immediately, his blue eyes as cold as ice, "In case we need to remind you, we're older, and you and your friends are guests in this house. Unless you want to get kicked out and wait in the cold night until you learn some manners, you better remember to respect your elders. And that goes for **you** as well."

He added this last sentence while shooting a reprimanding look at Rogue, and the Southern mutant immediately was offended alongside Rina. And Logan looked like he wanted nothing better to do than to grab Leo by the scruff of his neck and throw the man out of his own house (and quite possibly through the front door in the process).

Ororo's voice was collected and coldly formal as she said, "With all due respect, Mr. Wyatt, you have no authority to lecture and reprimand the students. You're overstepping your boundaries."

Leo snapped back, "And maybe if you and Xavier did a better job raising the students, I wouldn't _have_ to overstep my boundaries."

Ororo's eyes went wide with shock and anger as she inhaled sharply, her back as straight as a metal pole. And it looked like Scott, Jean, Logan and Professor Xavier were equally offended at that crack about their supervision and guardianship abilities. General Hawk then addressed the senior X-Men before another argument could break out.

"All right, first things first, despite what Spirit, Blind Master, and Roadblock informed me very briefly in our conversation over the phone, I need to hear the whole story. First from the Halliwells and their guests, and **then** from Professor Xavier and the Joes," General Hawk commanded, taking charge and seeing that unless this was handled delicately, nothing but a heated and ugly fight would break out.

Then for the next twenty minutes, Phoebe and Paige, despite the poisonous and hate-filled glares that have been emanating from the teenage X-Men throughout the living room, the mutants, the Joes, the Slayers, the Scoobies, Batgirl and Batman listened to the testimony as Piper, Phoebe, and Paige explained everything. Phoebe explained how she was working and ending her shift at the Bay Mirror when she ran into the warlocks and tried to help, only to stumble that it was a clever ruse by Zankou, one of their adversaries, and how the Slayers mysteriously stumbled in (though she didn't explain the folklore about the vampire slayer and many of the audience were greatly lost about it). Piper, reluctantly, then explained how Batman and General Hawk had known about them way back, and how Hawk and Batman had visited them to warn them about the Hellfire Club's sudden influence all over the Earth and how Supergirl was in a magical coma. Then Paige (much to Leo and Piper's chagrin) gave a brief yet insightful overview about their roles as the Charmed Ones, a family of Wiccans existing since the colonial times in Salem, Massachusetts, where it was prophesized that three daughters of the Halliwell matriarchs and ancestors would emerge at a focal point to fight all supernatural evil and protect the world with white magic and spellcrafts. Paige then briefly explained all their powers, how Piper had the power to freeze time and cause objects to explode and combust, how Phoebe was a martial artist and had the power to experience visions of the future and past, and how Paige had the power to orb, telekinetically orb, and glamour herself and her appearance due to her unique mixture of Whitelighter and witch blood. This especially got the Joes, Misfits and X-Men's collective attention since it wasn't lost on any of them that Paige pretty much had the same powers as their friend, Justin. Thankfully, no one said anything, though Justin looked ready to burst with curiosity, though a stern look from Althea told him to keep quiet.

When it was all done, Phoebe then told General Hawk, "And that was how it was. If it wasn't for the Leomon creature, we'd all be dead, and after he warned us that the Hellfire Club and some strange group called the Organization is planning to attack us because they want to harness the Nexus, the one we are - "

"That's enough, Phoebe!" Piper snapped, warning her sister to keep quiet about the matters of the Nexus and to not tell more than absolutely necessary. Apparently, despite it all, the witch still didn't feel that Batman, General Hawk, and their associates deserved to know about that information. Meanwhile, the others were trying to process what Paige, Phoebe, and Piper had told them.

"So you're known as the Charmed Ones, a group of Wiccans that also go by the term, 'The Power of Three'?" Shipwreck asked.

"And you are following a destiny given by your ancestral lineage to fight demons and monsters and protect the magical world and the mortal world from evil entities and warlocks and demons? That is so cool!" asked Quinn eagerly, still trying to make sense of it…and imagine all the wondrous possibilities her and her sisters could do with such potential energy to cause some well-needed havoc.

"And you know Batman because he, Dr. Fate, and Etrigan led you to fight a group of mutants called the Externals at some event called the High Lord Ascension? And this was what allowed you to become targets from the Hellfire Club because your involvement endangered Selene, the Black Queen of the Inner Circle?" Batgirl asked, repeating the facts and storing them into her memory.

"And this Zankou who sent the Heartless on you and these other girls is one of your greatest enemies from hell, a person of black magic?" Ororo asked, instantly remembering what the Hungan from her village tried to do to her when he attacked her and the other X-Men. The Slayers and the Scoobies just remained silent, looking at the three women.

"Yes," Paige said.

Iceman couldn't take it any longer as he shouted, leaping to his feet, pointing at Phoebe, "And she killed Jubilee's parents! Jubilee saw her! Jean and the Professor looked into her mind! She's nothing but an evil witch who is planning to kill all of us! She murdered Jubes' parents! She's nothing but a lying, manipulative whore!"

Piper and Leo looked ready to kill and lash back for the tactless and rude insult, but then someone else beat them to it, and who the person was actually managed to startle them.

"Iceman…" and the teen looked up to see a very, **very** angry Batman towering over right next to him. Though the masked hero showed no emotion on his cold face, everyone could feel the aura and heat radiating from his body, as if something very dangerous was building up. Even Logan and Faith felt a little bothered from the death-glare the member of the Justice League was giving, and Batgirl could have honestly said that she had never witnessed Batman as angry as he was right now.

Though no one knew it, Batman, deep down, was fiercely protective of the Halliwells, even though they didn't really appreciate nor acknowledge it.

"**Sit down**," Batman rumbled methodically with the purest form of a threat, and being no fool to retort back, Bobby paled before he weakly sank back on the couch. As reckless and foolhardy as he was, the ice-generating mutant could confess that he was actually afraid that Batman would snap his neck if he didn't obey. Paige and Phoebe both gave Batman a look of gratitude, which he coldly ignored. Piper then shot General Hawk an accusing look.

"All right," Piper hissed coldly, "Now it's your turn General Hawk. Tell us what exactly is going on specifically with this Gathering we've been hearing, and will you tell your X-Men that Phoebe had nothing to do with the murder of Jubilee's parents? I am sorry she had to go through that, but we had nothing to do with it!"

Leo then shot a look at Professor Xavier before he said with malice, "OK, you heard our story, so now we hear yours. Show us exactly what you saw in your student's mind, and let's hear why exactly you and the Misfits and the soldiers from G.I. Joe are snooping around here and disturbing our lives and are trying to get us killed. Let's hear your so-called biased view."

"Professor Xavier doesn't lie, Leo," Hawk said, surprising some of the X-Men that the general would come so quickly to the telepath's defense.

"General Hawk," Spirit murmured as he held up a hand to stop his superior from continuing further, "The Halliwells and Mr. Wyatt, you trust, but what about them?"

The G.I. Joe tracker and soldier then motioned with his head towards the Slayers and the Scoobies and Wood, causing a few scandalized and irritated glares to come his way as he continued, "We don't know anything about these people, and it's dangerous to just allow anyone who is fighting the same enemy we are to know about our plight with the Gathering. Yes, the girls and Roadblock's friend have shown some resiliency and hardiness at fighting this evil, but is it fair to entrust them with this information? We can't make them targets of the Heartless if they do not wish to. We can't bring more people into this fight."

"I'm starting to worry about this whole Heartless thing," Kennedy murmured to Willow's ear secretly, "Whatever it is, this might be the new, big evil you've been sensing for the past two weeks."

"With all due respect, Sir," Rona said rather loudly and disdainfully to Spirit, "Slayers don't run from anything. And we're already involved in this since that baddie tried to kill us and your Leomon friend-dude warned Willow that she has to fight in some future battle or die."

"Leomon is _hardly_ what you'd call a friend," Scott muttered, and Lance shot the X-Man a look to shut up, but thankfully, he didn't say anything.

"Slayers?" whispered Jean in confusion to Logan, "What's a _Slayer_?"

"I've never heard anything of that term, Red. We can ask them later, but until then, be quiet," Wolverine brusquely shushed his younger student.

Roadblock turned to General Hawk, completely serious.

"General Hawk, I know Wood, and he's completely trustworthy, and from what I can tell, he's no stranger to the supernatural and knows how to deal with these kinds of situations. And Xavier, X-Men, I know you may have some reservations about this, but this might be the thing we've been hoping for. We all wished we had more allies and firepower to help us fight against the Heartless and try to stop the Gathering of Twilight. Well, I'm beginning to see that this might be the best thing we could ever ask for in this situation."

The Professor, Wolverine, and Storm turned and looked at Willow, Wood, Andrew, and the Slayers, conflicted and hesitant. But Kennedy and Wood were able to discern that Roadblock's words had a ring of truth and hope to it. After a few moments of deep thought, Hawk then turned to Wood and Faith, his mind made up.

Hawk said in a solemn tone, "I trust the judgment of most of my soldiers, and Roadblock is no exception. However, what I'm about to tell you, all of you, your girls and the Halliwells, you might not like. You say you've dealt with weird stuff before, but I'm giving you fair warning right now: this** isn't** pretty, and I do not want to bring you into our fight if you don't want it. If I tell you what we know about the Heartless and the Hellfire Club's plans, then this means that you and your associates will be all involved. You may be targeted, you may be even killed. I'm not going to sugarcoat this. We're dealing with the **end of the world** with this new development, and if you don't want to put yourselves in further danger, tell me now and I'll understand. But if you want to learn of this new threat, you'll inadvertently be involved in this war, and there will be no turning back."

"Funny how you couldn't have done that with us, Hawk," Piper muttered loudly, and Phoebe swatted her sister's arm to gracefully stop her from going any further. Wood and Faith simultaneously looked at Andrew, Willow, and the former Potentials. Andrew looked fearful, but Willow, Kennedy, Rona, Caridad, Chao-Ahn (once Fred finished translating for her), Shannon, Vi, and Dana all nodded fiercely. Their decision was unanimous. Faith turned to General Hawk.

"As Rona said, us Slayers don't run from any baddie, and if we're gonna kick some ass and save the world, then we're all up for it. Trust me, General, after fighting with the First, we doubt that there's a baddie worse than what we've been through in Sunnydale," Faith said fervently.

"The _First_?" Ororo asked, confused. She had no idea what the meant.

"_Sunnydale?_" murmured Shipwreck and Cover Girl in shock. They heard about the former city in California, and its sudden demise…

General Hawk shot them a look that he'll answer their questions and suspicions in due time, but for now, he, Batman, and Professor Xavier explained the situation while the Halliwells (even Piper) and the Slayers and Scoobies listened intently.

First, Hawk took out a strange device from the vault at the G.I. Joe Pit that Forge and Trinity recently created that the X-Men and the Joes were forced to confiscate. It was metallic disc with a strange holographic circle in the center, filled with some sort of silver gelatin, attached to some very complicated circuitry and microchips. Daria explained eagerly to the Slayers, Scoobies, and Charmed Ones.

"It's the _Telepathic Projector 5000_!" the Triplet sister eagerly piped up, "It takes in all thoughts from a telepathic input, and this little doohickey will use a holographic image to display those thoughts and images from any telepath, like a television screen! Think of it as a slide-projector except that it displays any thoughts, sounds and images visually as holograms, like a video camera that reads your thoughts and puts them on display!"

"Whoa! Amazing!" gasped Andrew, "How on Earth did you guys build this?"

"We had time to do it in between the nuclear warheads, the _Crotch Shaver 1.1_, and the _My Little Pony_ bazooka-soldiers!" cackled Brittany. This gained a few odd looks from the other Slayers, Willow, Andrew, and Wood.

"Did she just say - ?" began Shannon.

"We didn't hear anything," Kennedy said immediately, instantly going into denial. Dana shot her comrades a dark look of accusing disdain.

"And you people call **me** psychotic," Dana muttered.

Then for the next hour, everyone listened and watched intently as Daria, Quinn, Brittany, Jean, and Professor Xavier placed in the images and events they remembered in their minds while General Hawk explained everything as best as he could. The Slayers, the Scoobies, and the Charmed Ones listened as they learned about the Phoenix Force and how Darkseid of the planet Apokolips tried to harness it to rule the cosmos, only to have it turn against him and how the Phoenix entity bonded with the two girls, Supergirl and Batgirl instead. They witnessed the events in Jump City with the Teen Titans and Titans East, and their first rendezvous with the strange, enigmatic Leomon and how he warned them of the Heartless threat and how the Hellfire Club and the strange group called the Organization and the Thirteenth Order were planning to destroy the world via a strange new evil created from the darkness called the Heartless. They saw the images of the massacre of H.I.V.E. Academy, and how the heroes and the teenagers banded together as a final attack against Trigon, which brought about some exclamations of horror.

"By the spirit of the Earth," Willow gasped as she stared at the Misfits and the X-Men with a mixture of awe, astonishment, and wonder, "You guys fought against **_Trigon the Terrible_**?"

"Holy shit!" Wood exclaimed as he stared at the mutant teenagers in disbelief. As a Watcher, he was trained and extremely familiar with all sorts of evil entities and demons, and Trigon, though dismissed as obscure and ancient, was a Demon Lord of the Ancients, possibly second to the First, the creation of all evil. Phoebe and Paige and Leo were also staring at the mutants with disbelief. The Book of Shadows described Trigon as a truly unstoppable force, omnipotent and omnipresent and with enough might and strength to take over entire galaxies. The kids were extremely lucky to even make it out there alive. Scott and Jean's eyes went pained with the grim reminder.

"We barely survived that battle," Jean murmured as Scott rubbed her shoulders, "Raven luckily was strong enough to banish her father back to the realm that the Hellfire Club and the Thirteenth Order released him from in the end."

"My God, what were they thinking?" Caridad gasped, "They're fools if they think that they'll be spared if this Gathering of Twilight comes to Earth! Not even the First has been able to do something this horrendous!"

"Not _yet_, anyway," Kennedy murmured bleakly.

Then (much to Jean's smug satisfaction), the five groups all watched as Jean and Professor X sent in the images and events they witnessed and viewed in Jubilee's mind. The Slayers gasped with recognition as they recognized that the vampire the Chinese girl fought was truly a Turok-Han, and Wood felt cold with dread upon this assertion that the ancient forms of vampires still existed. Whoever controlled the creatures would truly be powerful and damn near unstoppable. The mutants and the Joes listened as they overheard Phoebe's talk over the phone before she incinerated the entire house, burning whatever was left of Jubilee's life and the dead bodies of her parents.

There was a tense silence when it was finished. Everyone was now either staring or glaring at the Charmed Ones and Leo. Paige's eyes nearly went out of her head, her brown hair drooping limply to her shoulders, still unwilling to believe what she and her sisters just beheld moments ago. Leo looked absolutely troubled, making quick glances between the _Telepathic Projector 5000_ and Phoebe. Phoebe was white in the face, and horrified at what she saw. She didn't do it, but once she saw Jubilee's heartbreak and her grief, she suddenly could feel why Jubilee hated her so much. Still, it wasn't her. And Phoebe knew that whoever made Jubilee think that she was responsible for sending the Turok-Han to kill her and her family was incredibly devious. Batman and General Hawk and Leomon were right; their lives **were** in grave jeopardy. Piper still was fiercely adamant as she sprang up from the couch, defensive and stubbornly firm on her loyalty to her family.

"**That wasn't her!**" Piper yelled, staring directly in the sea of dirty looks she was getting from the other X-Men, "I don't care what you or Jubilee saw! That wasn't Phoebe! She would never kill anyone! And she can't even do what you just witnessed! Don't you remember what Paige told you? Her powers are passive! She can only view images of the past and future! She can't use fire and she can't teleport like Paige can! That _wasn't_ her! She's being framed! She's innocent! **My sister is innocent!**"

"You mean you still deny this?" Wolverine growled murderously.

Kitty then spoke rather harshly, "Like, how do we know that Phoebe didn't just use some witchcraft to set Jubilee's house on fire? How do we know she just didn't use her magic to attack and kill Jubilee's parents and control that vampire? Just because she's your sister doesn't totally mean like she's innocent! She could have done it without you even knowing!"

Forge then chipped in, "Shadowcat has a point, Piper! How can you expect us to believe Phoebe didn't do it when you three can do **anything** with your magic! Nothing could be impossible then since it pretty much defies all logic and science! What, you mean to tell us that Phoebe never had fire powers?"

"I…I used to before - " and Phoebe stopped, her face frozen with fear and misgiving. Ororo and Logan's eyes narrowed, and Logan felt his teeth painfully clench against one another. He could sense it, the trepidation, the guilt, the uncomfortable feelings caused by her now rapid heartbeat and the way she wrenched the fabric of her skirt on her knee.

"Before _what_?" Nightcrawler accused harshly.

"Watch your tone, Nightcrawler! You aren't obligated to know - !" began Leo, but Phoebe then stopped her brother-in-law by raising a hand in front of Leo's face to silence his tirade before she decided to tell the truth. As Paige mentioned before, if she didn't say it, they would find out eventually, and the Charmed Ones needed to show that they had nothing to hide.

"I used to have the power to generate fire before I lost it," Phoebe explained in a tired voice, "You see, a while back, I fell in love with a half-demon named Balthazar, and in my love, I turned a blind eye and abandoned my sisters to become his Queen of Hell. Though I repented later and killed Balthazar to save my sisters…I had the fire powers when I used to be evil."

"**_I knew it!_**" Bobby yelled, springing up from the couch again, pointing an accusatory finger at Phoebe, beyond furious, "She even admitted it! She **is** evil! And she **did** kill Jubes' parents! **_She just admitted it!_**"

And Bobby wasn't the only one to jump on this bandwagon. Even Logan was among the kids and students seemed ready to attack and pounce upon the witch all at once, and it took the efforts of Storm, Hawk, Batman, and some of the Misfits to calm all of them down.

"That's enough!" Scarlet Witch snapped, "Are you all forgetting something? If they're against you, then why are the Heartless trying to kill them? Why is the Hellfire Club trying to attack them if they're evil? Look, it looks suspicious, I agree, but how do we know it wasn't a shapeshifter who tried to impersonate Phoebe or something?"

"A shapeshifter can't copy someone else's powers, Wanda!" snapped Cyclops.

"I agree with Wanda!" Avalanche said heatedly, "This smells like a set-up! And if they were evil and against us, then Leomon wouldn't have helped them and tried to warn them about the Gathering!"

"Oh will you quit going on and on about your infatuation with Leomon, Alvers?" snapped Jean, hands on hips, "It's so pathetic that you continue to stick up for that furry hood like he's suddenly your best friend! Leomon this, and Leomon that! My God, and I thought you couldn't sink to any lower of a undignified muck whenever you tried to disastrously woo Kitty!"

"You leave him alone, Jean!" Quicksilver snapped, "I'd rather have a furry hood than a little Princess Snob like you, you prissy witch! No wait, I take that back! Calling **you** a witch would actually be insulting to the Charmed Ones!"

"You creep!" Rogue spat, instantly coming to Jean's defense. Batgirl, Fred, Lina, Todd, and Justin then all got between the quarrelling groups before it could truly get ugly.

"**_THAT'S ENOUGH!_**" Blob bellowed.

"Please, this isn't going to help anyone!" Batgirl yelled.

"And we still don't know exactly what the Hellfire Club is planning to do once they attack the Halliwells and try to harness the power of the Nexus, so all of you, stop this foolishness! **Now**," Batman commanded.

"The Nexus?" Ororo asked, frowning slightly, "What is the Nexus?"

"It's none of your business!" Leo snapped at the weather-witch.

"Hey, watch your mouth, preppy-boy!" Shipwreck snarled as he instantly clenched one of his hands into fists, "She's not one of the bad guys, so you better treat the lady here with some respect unless you want me to give you a little lesson of hard-knocks, if ya' get my drift!"

Phoebe then turned to the mentor of the X-Men, still glowering from his wheelchair silently.

"Professor Xavier, you'll just have to trust us like General Hawk and the Batman does, and just keep in mind that despite the evidence, I **still** deny that I murdered Jubilee's parents or are working with the Turok-Han that the Slayers have encountered before! I know I can't prove it, and I can't do anything that can convince you otherwise, but I'm innocent! I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can do to change the situation!"

It was then that the telepath went for his final resort, the one tactic he could use if all else failed.

"I'm afraid then you have left me no choice, Ms. Halliwell…" Xavier said sternly, and with that, he used his power to invade directly into Phoebe's mind. There was a sharp cry from Phoebe as she suddenly stopped and held her hands to her head, taken aback from the sudden throbbing pain of his telepathy. But it only lasted for a second. Suddenly, to Professor X's surprise, an unseen and force that the mutant elder had never before sensed in his entire life surged completely towards him, engulfing his mind and being with a crushing tidal wave of something alive, something that had unspeakable power and angry might reflecting back right at him, shielding the presence and soul and mind of Phoebe. The Professor had already tried to invade Slade's mind in Jump City, and it backfired badly. But the mutant professor would have gladly traded back into that event as this event was much, **much** worse.

It was like a thousand angry souls and being swarming all over him at once, each one with the potential to seriously hurt him and drag him into an eternal black chasm of hell and fire, plunging downwards in free-fall…

"Yaaaaaaahhhhh!" cried out the Professor before he snapped back to consciousness, and he realized he was back in the Halliwell Manor, now free and clear from the dreadful and surely terrifying experience, an experience he would never wish to go through again.

"Chuck? Chuck? You OK?" interrogated a worried Logan. Phoebe was gasping heavily, now sitting on the floor with her sisters trying to help her relax, angry tears running down her face.

"You…you tried to read my mind, didn't you?" Phoebe gasped in outrage.

Piper, Paige, and Leo whirled angrily at Professor Xavier with insult and anger, Piper most of all, and the slight look of guilt on Xavier's face was more than enough of an admission. Piper stood up and gave the mentor of the X-Men a look of pure hate.

"If you ever try that on my sister again, **I will kill you**," Piper spat lowly.

"Gee, guess you really **are** like Phoebe then," retorted Bobby snidely.

"How did - ?" began the Professor, shaking as he wiped the sweat off his brow with a handkerchief, but Piper immediately cut him off.

"We're immune to telepathy, Xavier," spat Piper, glaring daggers at the wheelchair-bound man and incredibly offended that the leader and sage headmaster of a school would do this to her sister in her own house. Jean looked at the Charmed Ones and Leo in shock.

"I thought it was strange that I couldn't detect your mental presences in the battle," she remarked suspiciously.

"Goddess, how is that possible?" Storm gasped. But Batgirl gasped as the answer came to her.

"Your magic!" Batgirl gasped, "Of course! It makes sense now! You fought against mutants at the High Lord Ascension, and I'm guessing some of them must have been telepathic, omniscient and able to look into any beings' mind! You must have used your magic to cast a spell on everyone, yourselves, Batman, Dr. Fate, and Etrigan to protect yourselves before you fought the Externals! The Professor couldn't see into Phoebe's mind because you're all still charmed with the anti-telepathy spell you cast since the Ascension!"

Piper glared at Batgirl but gave a single nod, indicating that the female detective had correctly guessed it.

"Trying to hide your thoughts from us? Nice way of trying to convince us that you're innocent, especially since you don't give a damn about helping us stop the world! If you really were good witches, you'd try to save the world and help Batman and us fight the Hellfire Club instead of hiding like yellow-tailed lizards!" Rogue yelled harshly.

"And do what?" Piper snapped back heatedly, "You want me and my sisters to gallantly prove that we didn't kill Jubilee's parents by doing you X-Men and Misfits and Joes favors in which you all in no way in hell deserve? You think we have something to prove to all of you just because one of your own was attacked by something that appears to be my sister? To expose ourselves and our powers? To sacrifice whatever chances we have of a normal life and as a family without needing some sort of hero complex? **Get over yourself, Rogue! **You're mutants, and you know exactly why we've been hiding the same way you mutants hid before the Sentinel exposed all of you! We can't reveal ourselves to the world! We don't want to fight because it would be too risky to expose the existence of magic and witches and the supernatural to the public! It could mean fear, persecution, and hate, exactly like you kids deal with every day from anti-mutant legislation and the Friends of Humanity! Just because we don't want to help General Hawk and Batman doesn't mean we're evil! We just want to hide, to live without worrying about the world hating us! If you think they hated mutants, then it'll be just as bad when they discover that magic and witchcraft exist! We **can't** put ourselves in that position, and you have no right to ask us to do such a thing!"

"Forgive us for not being so groovy with such a bogue idea," Forge shot back rather unsympathetically, close to sneering with contempt.

"'_Bogue_'?" Shannon asked. Wood sighed before he explained with a roll of his eyes.

"Another seventies term, Shannon. It describes something unrealistic or offensive."

The brown-haired Slayer turned to the mutant inventor before she asked with some irritation, "Geez, what is it with you and the seventies lingo?"

Batgirl was incredibly irritated with Piper's stubbornness as she said hotly, "So that's it then? You won't help us deal with this Heartless threat and find a way to prove that your sister is innocent? You'd rather let Jubilee live thinking that you killed her parents rather than trying to help her because you want to remain under a façade of a normal family? Because you're afraid to go through what the X-Men and Misfits went through? You'd rather let Supergirl die than swallow your pride and do what your ancestors wanted you to do with your gifts?"

"We're not under an obligation to help everyone, Batgirl! Not when it comes to a great risk to ourselves and our lives and our children! Get this into your head that just because we're magical doesn't mean we can do everything! We're not gods! **We can't help you!** Our superiors and our guardians have forbidden us from doing anything even if we wanted to!" Leo snapped.

"Forbidden? From who?" Cover Girl asked.

"The Halliwells have limits to their powers, Cover Girl," Batman replied coolly, "Unlike the X-Men and Misfits, there is a price to pay if they ever disobey against the rules and against their superiors' collective wishes. If a Charmed Wiccan ever uses her powers for personal gain or to commit atrocious crimes, then that means that they will be severely punished by losing their powers and magical abilities. And after their debacle with the Elders and the Avatars, the Charmed Ones cannot risk any more involvement against the rules they are forced to abide by. And coincidentally, this also indicates that Phoebe could have never murdered Jubilee's parents, otherwise she would be powerless as of now."

"I'm still not convinced," Cyclops griped, "And if they're not evil, then they wouldn't just stand there and let other people try to stop the Gathering and the end of the world!"

"Cyclops, shut it!" Avalanche snapped before he turned to the Charmed Ones and asked desperately, "And there's nothing you guys can do at all? This is the end of the world we're talking about, and Supergirl is still in gave danger! Can't you do **something** at least? Ask a favor? Send us to some sort of magical army of elves or dragons or flying horses of some sort?"

Piper then finally admitted the conflict she felt about the Gathering of Twilight.

"You think I don't wish to, Avalanche?" Piper retorted, "I want my children to be safe and my family to be protected and have a future, but not in a way where it exposes our secrets to the world or involves us in any fight that we have no reason to be a part of! Yes, I don't want the world to end, but I don't want to be involved in any more warfare and battle, especially with Batman and General Hawk involved!"

"How frank of you," Roadblock muttered.

Paige then said, the realization dawning on her, "Wait, there still may be a way to help them and save the world! Even if we can't do anything, and even if the X-Men don't trust us, there may be a way to help out with this whole thing! To help protect the Earth!"

"Which is what exactly?" Spirit asked.

"The Elders' debt to General Hawk!"

Leo and Phoebe looked surprised before Leo nodded, saying, "Of course! I forgot about that! There's no way the Immortals could refuse the Oath of Abraham! And they **could** be powerful enough to stop the world from being destroyed by Selene and Zankou!"

General Hawk inwardly winced as he looked away solemnly, slightly averting his gaze.

Phoebe was a bit confused, but out of the bottom of her stomach, she had a cold feeling of icy dread as she asked again, "General Hawk, use the Oath of Abraham! If you won't use it to help Supergirl awaken from her coma, then you can use it to summon the other Immortal elders and the Council of Immortals to help us protect the Nexus and fight the Heartless and prove that I'm innocent! I'm sure that they'll keep their promise, and the Hellfire Club wouldn't be able to stand a chance against immortals!"

General Hawk didn't say anything, and Piper got even more frustrated. What was wrong with him?

"General Hawk, why are you hesitating? This is exactly what you and the other groups have been waiting for, right? Well, use it! Hawk, if you won't use it to protect yourselves and your soldiers, then at least use it to protect my family and protect the world! You said you and the Misfits and the X-Men need allies to stop the Organization, right? This is a golden opportunity to do so! And this can also coincidentally help Supergirl! Use it! Use the Oath of Abraham!" Piper raged, impatient.

There was a tense silence as the G.I. Joe general didn't answer the sister, but then Quicksilver and Toad thoughtlessly spoke out before any of their teammates or the Misfit handlers could stop them.

"_The Oath of Abraham?_" repeated Pietro in confusion before it dawned on the albino why the term was so familiar to him.

Todd asked to Hawk, his eyes wide, "Wait a minute! Wasn't that the promise you used to save Justin's life when - ?"

Althea nudged Toad hard in the ribs with her elbow, but unfortunately, the damage had already been done. That one fragment of a sentence informed the Charmed Ones and Leo what they did not want to hear.

"What?" chorused Leo and Piper is shock before they both whirled at General Hawk, glaring. Phoebe was frozen, her expression on her face alarmed and surprised; after all, the Oath of Abraham isn't something you would use to get a paint-job done on a car or to have someone pick up your dry cleaning. An Oath of Abraham was practically a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card via the most powerful magic and might of the Immortal Council, a binding contract that had to authority to entitle the recipient to literally alter the world and time itself if requested. Willow looked at Hawk, her jaw dropping; she too knew the importance and rarity of any human being promised an Oath of Abraham.

He gave a grave sigh before he answered, "Halliwells, Leo…I already used the Oath of Abraham."

The Charmed Ones were stunned as they felt their hearts drop, the one thing that could possibly get them out of this dangerous and volatile mess vanished in thin air, like a cruel joke or a devious twist of fate. The X-Men, Scoobies, and Slayers were puzzled to say the least as they heard this, still lost on the conversation.

"Uh…someone care to explain what the heck is an 'Oath of Abraham'?" Kurt remarked, curious.

"It's a powerful magical vow, a binding contract between gods or powerful magical beings from a higher plane!" Willow hurriedly explained, "In other words, it's a powerful promise that entitles the bearer of anything! They can be given riches and power, be made king of the world, raise the dead, or even change the past history! And it's extremely rare for a human to even be promised such an Oath! The last human being in magical history to ever gain an Oath of Abraham was Merlin, and he used it to help King Arthur Pendragon defeat his half-sister, Morganna, and send him to Avalon!"

"And General Hawk **used** it already?" gasped Roberto as the X-Men and Slayers just stared at the G.I Joe general.

"You…you used it?" Piper gasped.

"Yes," Hawk reluctantly confessed, "To protect the life of one of the Misfits."

"Justin? You mean the one who's named 'Whitelighter'? Then he _is_ of magical blood!" Phoebe gasped, the recollection of the Heartless battle coming to her. Justin felt incredibly daunted and nervous at the three women and the one man turned towards him, questioning and distrustful.

"Are…are you a male witch? Or a Wiccan like us?" Paige asked, her eyes wide with disbelief (and indeed, she was still reeling from the discovery).

"Uh…no, I…I don't think so. I'm a mutant."

"But you have Whitelighter blood in you," Leo stated distantly, now starting to have his suspicions mount on General Hawk, G.I. Joe and the Misfits. There was something Hawk wasn't telling him; of this, the ex-Whitelighter was certain.

Justin (bless him) answered truthfully, albeit a bit apprehensive, "Um…yeah, I'm half-Whitelighter. My mortal side gave me the X-Gene to be a mutant, from my mother."

"Then if your father is a Whitelighter, what's his name?" Leo asked with narrowed eyes. As a former guardian angel of witches, he knew every single surviving member of the Whitelighters and the Elders, so he wasn't going to be lost if he was told who was the patron. Hawk threw Justin a look to keep quiet, but unfortunately, the teen was too oblivious to notice as he just blabbed it rather thoughtlessly, though a little resigned.

"His name is Elder Gideon. Why, do you know him?" Justin asked innocently.

There was a sharp intake of breath as Paige, Piper, Phoebe, and Leo just stared at the Misfit, their eyes wide and glassy and absolutely stunned beyond the highest form of disbelief and shock. Even Batman looked taken aback; he would have never suspected that Elder Gideon of all beings would have a son who was half-mortal.

"Oh shit," Hawk cursed under his breath, closing his eyes. This wasn't going to be good.

Piper was shaking visibly. So that was it then. Hawk requested their help because he already wasted the Oath. He further dragged the Charmed Ones in a fight that they could very well lose, that she could very well sacrifice everything, her safety, her family, her lineage, each part of her life as a woman, a wife, and a mother, all for the son of Gideon, the hypocritical bastard who unfairly persecuted Wyatt and Chris because of their mixture of Whitelighter and Wiccan blood. Now they had nothing. Now, Leomon's warning that they could very well lose came rushing back into her memory and consciousness. Now there was nothing they could do but unwillingly bear the consequences caused by people outside who unfairly laid the burden on the Halliwells' shoulders. It all came back, the fear, the anger, the stress, the accusations of Phoebe murdering Jubilee's parents…

It was too much.

It was unbearable.

Piper couldn't hold it in any more.

The pain, the hurt, the worry, the rage, the recollection of her sister, Prue, dying thanks to the damned interference of Ra's Al Ghul and the Batman.

Her sisters were now just in as much hazard and peril…all because of a boy Hawk favored more over her sisters, after everything the Whitelighters and the Charmed Ones did for him.

Piper needed to vent out, to let her anger, her frustration, her temper lash out at something, **anything**.

Unfortunately, the only object nearby was Justin…and all she could see was that he was that insufferable prick's son, the child of the smug, self-righteous bastard named Gideon.

Her vision clouding in red, Piper strode over briskly towards Justin before there was a swift blur…

_Crack!_

"Piper!" gasped Paige in disbelief and shock.

Justin's whimpered, hurt and take aback as he gingerly touched his reddening cheek where Piper just slapped him. The Misfits and Joes needed a second to register what just happened before they immediately sprang up from the couch, now absolutely livid. Hawk looked angry as well, but there was some extreme sorrow and disappointment mixed in too, as if he could understand what Piper was feeling. Piper's eyes were blazing, her lips pursued tightly, and it was obvious that she had no regret or shame about slapping the Misfit. Suddenly, she felt herself jerked back into reality as a strong force wrapped itself around her wrist and yanked her towards a furious Blind Master.

Blind Master's brow was furrowed behind his dark glasses as he growled, his fingers tightening on Piper's wrist, "Strike my son again, and you **will** live to regret it, you witch."

"Well, that's a blatant lie," Piper snapped rather rudely, "Considering he's not really your son to begin with!"

Pietro was actually furious and was already yelling at Justin, trying to provoke his brother into retaliating, "Chubby-cheeks, why aren't you saying anything? She **_punked_** you! I know for a fact we're not letting that one slide! Well? Say something! Give it to that witch good!"

"What the hell did you do that for?" Shipwreck yelled, outraged. Althea went for the more direct approach as she went toe to toe with the eldest Halliwell sister, her eyes now blazing and her nostrils white as she sucked in air sharply through her nose.

"Apologize to Justin," Wavedancer commanded, her voice now low and deadly.

"I am **not** apologizing to Gideon's bastard child!" Piper raged, seething, and Althea went for the knife in her boot before she held it up in front of the woman's face.

"You either apologize willingly, or I will **make** you apologize. Either way, you're going to saying that you're sorry. No one hurts one of my teammates…at least not without suffering the consequences," the Misfit leader threatened.

"There's already consequences because you used up the Oath of Abraham on him!" Piper screamed heatedly, "Gideon screwed us over so many times, and yet you're protecting his son, his child, over us, the people you've been anted to seek help from? Gideon tried to murder my own sons!"

"That's still not a good excuse, yo!" Toad snarled as he pointed at Justin, "Whitelighter's nothing like Gideon! Just because he's Gideon's son doesn't mean that you can take it out on him yo! It ain't fair to Justin!"

Piper just wrenched her hand out of Blind Master's grip before she exploded at Hawk and Batman.

"It never ends with you, does it, Hawk?" Piper raged, red in the face and her voice hoarse, "You and Batman never get it, do you? We can't ever trust you because you _always_ ruin our lives! **ALWAYS!** No matter how many times you try to promise us that you'd protect us, that you'd look out for our interests, that you'd ensure that we're working for the greater good of everyone, we're the ones who pay the price for your shenanigans! Now because of you, the world will end, our lives will still be in danger, you caused us endless grief and pain, and we now have even more enemies who wish to see us dead, the X-Men included!"

Piper continued to scream shrilly as she pointed at Justin who was now so uncomfortable and scared, he looked like he wanted nothing better than to orb out and hide from everyone staring at him.

"You wasted it! You wasted a powerful oath of magic on **_him_**, Gideon's blood, Gideon's bastard child that has less usefulness and power to protect the planet than a used potion!"

Low Light then shouted rather angrily, "Last time I checked, the Oath of Abraham wasn't yours to use, and it was owed to General Hawk! You have no right to judge him on how he used the debt Gideon promised him!"

Piper ignored Low Light as she then shot a death glare at Justin who positively withered.

"I hope you're happy with yourself," she hissed poisonously, "Thanks to you, our lives are in further danger and you just get to live off recklessly while we have to endure what your father and General Hawk did to us for your sake. Thanks to you, we have to suffer after everything we've done to help General Hawk and Batman! Thanks to you, Gideon is relishing the fact that we're getting the short end of the stick just because of his dislike against us and our sons, and I have to endure the possibility that my children and family could die because of your pathetic existence! Thanks to you, our family is in danger and your world may very well die! **_I wish you were never born!_**"

"How dare you!" shouted an outraged Brittany, her voice close to shrieking.

"That's enough, Mrs. Wyatt!" growled Blind Master dangerously.

Pietro was starting to get very impatient with his teammate as he yelled directly into Whitelighter's ear, still shocked and frustrated that Justin wasn't doing anything to fight back or defend himself.

"Chubby-cheeks!" Pietro protested with protective anger, "Don't just stand there like an idiot! Tell her off! Flick her off! Insult her and her sorry fashion sense! Do something! Do _anything_! Don't just stand there like some mute idiot! _Tell her off!_ Don't let her treat you like a doormat!"

Justin looked down at the floorboards, his eyes stinging and red in the face, but he didn't say anything to defend himself. He was too frozen with pain; this was exactly like when he was subjected to the hate curse.

"Piper, stop it!" Paige snapped as she roughly grabbed her older sister's shoulder, trying to shake her out of her tirade.

"My God, you are such a bitch!" Cover Girl snapped, exasperated, "You know, the more I think about it, the more I have to wonder if Jubilee is telling the truth on how your sister murdered her parents!"

"You leave Phoebe out of this, slut!" Piper snapped.

Rina, the X-Man known as X23, then had enough as she growled, leaping at Piper with her claws drawn out.

"Rina, don't!" yelled Xi and Wolverine together simultaneously, but it was too late as Rina's claws grazed Piper's arm.

_Slash!_

Piper just looked down in shock, too stunned to cry out in pain, as she saw that there were now two deep gashes across her arm, tearing through her clothes and causing her entire arm to bleed intensely, dripping in crimson liquid. It wasn't life-threatening, but it was certainly serious. With a dark look of retribution, Piper then flicked her hand at X23's claws.

_Kaboom!_

"Oh my God!" Jean gasped as she, Dragonfly, and Forge rushed to the girl's side, Rina now screaming in outrage as they saw that her claws, her beautiful and resilient adamantium claws were now disfigured and shattered into small, sharp fragments on the rug below, now useless and ruined and completely destroyed. Piper's molecular combustion was so powerful, it could crack the adamantium.

"That was for my arm, you tramp!" Piper hissed as X23, Xi, and Wolverine threw the Halliwell sister the most evil look of bloodthirsty, ravenous bloodlust. The Slayer, Faith, then had enough as she got into Piper's face.

"You leave her alone, bitch! Try picking on someone your own size!" Faith snapped.

"This isn't any of your business, so get out of her face, Slayer!" Leo snapped.

"I'm in your face now, and I don't take orders from a prude like you, so get used to it!" the brown-haired girl from Boston challenged.

"Move, or I'll curse you!" Piper threatened, holding a rag Phoebe brought to her bleeding arm.

"Try it, smart-ass," growled Faith, now starting to have a growing dislike towards Piper, "Slayers don't go down very easily."

"But you're not spell-proof," retorted Piper, her body quivering in rage and actually looking at Faith directly in the eye, not faltering in the slightest in her anger, "Now back off, or I'll use a little hex to send a piece of gutter-trash like you to a very far away place!"

"And a** fist** is what **I'll** use to knock a **bitch** like you to a very far away place," Faith growled as she held up said instrument in front of the Wiccan's face.

Piper had absolutely enough as she then chanted in a very harsh and powerfully booming voice, ethereal and not unlike her normal timbre, "_Cast out these unwanted guests, rid me those who make me stressed! No longer welcome in my hallowed home, I say! Ban these cretins forevermore from this day!_"

With a yell, all of them, the Scoobies, the Slayers, the X-Men, the Misfits, the Joes, Batman, and Batgirl felt themselves get picked up by a strange and powerful wind, almost in the strength of a tornado, before they were immediately swept off their feet and suddenly found themselves outside of the house. Apparently, Piper cast a spell to banish all of her unwelcome houseguest from the Halliwell manor. Everyone, save Batman, Blind Master, Wolverine, and Wavedancer were lying sprawled on their backs on the front lawn; the aforementioned four managed to land on their feet.

"**_And don't ever come back to darken our house!_**" Piper screamed shrilly before she slammed the front door, ending the fight with a ringing silence.

"Well, like _that_ went well," grumbled Kitty sarcastically as she helped Dragonfly get up from her sprawled position on the concrete and grass lawn.

"And you want us to protect them and this Nexus **_why_**, exactly?" Batgirl said bitterly as she gave a hard look at Batman and General Hawk.

Meanwhile, Willow was trying her best to probe into the house before she realized that she couldn't.

"I…I can't break it!" Willow murmured, "Her magic is strong, stronger than mine!"

"I told you that the Halliwells were evil!" Jean snapped annoyingly at the Joes and Misfits, hands on her hips, "I told you! But did you listen to me? Did you listen at all? _Noooooo_!"

"Jean, shut up," growled Althea, "I'm not in the mood."

"Oh, you just can't stand it when we're right and you're wrong, can you?" Cyclops heatedly sneered.

"So now what do we do?" Quinn asked General Hawk, "It's pretty obvious that the Charmed Ones aren't going to help us any more from now on, and whatever the Hellfire Club wants with them, it could mean that the Gathering could appear on Earth!"

"Personally, if the Hellfire Club and Thirteenth Order want the Halliwells so badly, they can **have** them," Blind Master muttered darkly.

"Gabriel, that's enough," growled Hawk.

"Wait!" called out a voice, and the Slayers, Joes, X-Men, Misfits, Batgirl, Batman, and General Hawk turned around to see a breathless Paige running towards them. Out in open public, she didn't dare orb in front of any passerby or where any neighbor could see them, even though it was past one o'clock in the morning. Paige didn't stop in her mad dash until she reached the heroes, panting heavily considering that she was wearing sandals. Storm and Spirit then noticed that in one hand, the brunette held the shards of Rina's adamantium claws and in her other hand, she held several corked, glass bottles of multicolored liquids.

"What do you want?" Low Light muttered acidly. Paige shot the Joe sniper a glare, but she quietly it her tongue, realizing that it wouldn't be good for any of them if the rifts were made even further.

"To help."

"Funny, I think your sisters have done enough for tonight," Wavedancer said, her voice low and barbed with razor-sharp resentment and dislike.

Paige held out the adamantium shards before she voiced in a calm, gentle whisper, "_Personal loss should not be mine, restore these claws and make them fine._"

With a flash and to Wolverine and X23's amazements, Rina's claws were submerged with a soft illumination of white luster before the shards in Paige's hands disappeared and reformed back into the mutant's original claws, as good and perfect as they were before Piper caused them to combust.

Rina looked a little conflicted, trying out if the claws worked to her satisfaction and upon finding that they did, she looked at Paige and saw that she was sincere in her act. X23 nodded, murmuring, "Thank you."

Paige then handed the bottles to a startled Batgirl.

"What – what are these?" Batgirl asked.

"Potions," answered Paige breathlessly, "I've been making some to help out Supergirl to see if it could break the spell that caused her to lapse in the coma. I've been researching about brews specifically created to awaken sleeping spells, and I've been experimenting with them ever since Batman came to the manor to inform us. Trust me, the Book of Shadows says that very few magical enchantments can withstand this stuff, and I'm top-notch with making magical potions along with Phoebe. Sprinkle the potions on Supergirl's body, and see if it can wake her up. It's a long shot, but I thought you might take anything that could be of some kind of assistance to break her sleep curse."

Batgirl looked at the youngest sister before she finally smiled. This could be of great help.

"How do we know you're not trying to poison Supergirl instead?" Caridad asked suspiciously, warily eyeing the potions that Paige had handed them. Paige returned a dry look of her own before she nodded to Willow.

"Willow, if you're just as powerful in magic and Wicca as Leomon and the Slayers say you are, you can look at the potions first before Batgirl uses them, and judging from your magical strength, you're probably just as familiar with the art of potions as we are. You can look as long as you like, but I give you my word, as a Charmed One and as a Wiccan, that these potions were made with the intention to heal and help Supergirl, not harm her."

"I'm surprised Piper isn't kicking you out too," Wanda shot back.

Paige's eyes flashed in irritation as she retorted, "She's may be my sister, but I don't always agree with everything she says. But…please keep in mind that despite her shortcomings and how she acted, she's still my family. And despite the evidence, please believe me when I say that Phoebe would have never killed that girl's parents; she is not like that. If you won't believe Piper or Phoebe's words, then try believing _mine_. And I'm here, trying to offer some sort of good help and trying to make a bridge between our groups."

That was true, and even the Professor and Cyclops and Wolverine couldn't deny it. Paige wouldn't even be here if she didn't truly care about helping others as a Charmed One, despite her loyalty to her family.

"We'll keep in mind," Scott muttered stiffly.

"It should be fair enough," Blind Master muttered rather unsympathetically. Roberto then turned to Batman who was just observing this silently.

"Batman, what do you think? Do you believe that Phoebe is innocent despite what we witnessed from Jubilee's memories? And you've known the Charmed Ones longer than we have," Sunspot asked. Xavier bit his tongue at the resentment that his pupil turned to the Dark Knight over him for validation of the Halliwells' involvement with Jubilee and the Turok-Han, but he didn't say anything. Batman just sternly looked at the Brazilian mutant.

"You should not always depend on the thoughts and opinions of others to make your own judgment, Sunspot," Batman scolded. Roberto just stood firm, still stubborn until he guessed correctly why the Batman sidetracked his question.

"So you **do** think that Phoebe is being framed and that this is probably a trick by the Hellfire Club," Roberto remarked. Batman didn't answer (and that further vindicated the teen's conclusion).

"You can't be serious!" Bobby piped up, fuming, as he glared at Batman, "How can you take their side? Even after everything Piper said and did?"

Batman said, "Piper Halliwell is hot-headed, narrow-minded, curt and selfish at times due to her desire to live a normal life with her children and husband without needing to be a heroic witch of a destiny she did ask for, but she is no liar. And neither are Phoebe and Paige for that matter. If they say that they had nothing to do with it, then I believe them, especially since the Hellfire Club and the Thirteenth Order is targeting them, and I can't say that the sudden discord and this so-called crime is entirely coincidental."

"Excuse us if we can't say we agree, bub," Wolverine shot back snidely. Batman's mouth thinned, but he didn't retort back.

Paige then turned to Justin, concerned.

"And Justin, I apologize for Piper's behalf, even though I shouldn't, and she should be the one here to make amends. But I'm half-Whitelighter too, so I know what's like to be a person of Whitelighter descent. And I don't condemn you because you're Gideon's son. It's just…Gideon didn't do right to Piper and Leo in the past."

"We don't want to hear an excuse, Paige," Dragonfly shot down crossly, but Justin nodded, feeling a bit better.

"I understand. Gideon didn't do what was right to me either," Justin said, remembering the past battles with the Dinosaucers, ignoring some of the puzzled looks the X-Men were giving him. Sunspot leaned over to Blob and Dragonfly.

"Is there something we should know about this Gideon dude?" Roberto asked.

"Yeah, spill it! It's not fair that us X-Men should be left alone in the dark, especially anything concerning these witches who probably killed Jubilee's parents!" Rogue ordered none too gently.

"We'll explain later because it's a long story," Fred sighed wearily.

"Blob, it's all right. I'm over it," Justin repeated insistently, but Pietro had a fiendish and naughty look on his face as he took out a remote control from his pocket.

"Uh-uh, chubby-cheeks! You're forgetting the old Misfit adage: **_don't get mad, get even!_**"

"What did you do, Quicksilver?" Ororo asked suspiciously.

"I had a few surprises in my pockets should I ever decide to have some fun," the speedster explained as he pressed the button on the remote control, "And I hid them all over the house after that witch slapped Whitelighter here."

KABOOM!

There was a sharp, piercing shriek of rage from Piper as the guests and visitors turned back to the Halliwell Manor and they could now see the windows of the first and second story were now thickly covered with foam from the inside.

"Shaving cream! It's everywhere!" Leo was heard bellowing while upstairs, there were the evident sounds of Chris and Wyatt crying from their bedroom, awoken from their slumber by the chaos.

"My house! **My house!** **_They ruined my house!_**" Piper was heard screeching, and Paige grimaced as she realized that if Piper got her hands on Pietro, the Misfit probably wouldn't even live to see the sun rise. Chao-Ahn turned to Fred.

"Is your team always like this?" the Chinese Slayer asked in Cantonese. Fred tried not to grin, but failed somewhat as he snorted merrily.

"Actually, we're even **worse**," he clarified back in Chao-Ahn's native tongue, and Chao-Ahn winced, not sure if she was going to like being associated and working with people that could make the term "insane" seem too generous and light of a description.

Jean turned to Pietro who was busy giving high-fives to Lance and Xi and gave the albino speedster a long look.

"You know, normally, I'm sick and tired of your pranks, but I have to give you a pat on the back for _this_ one," Jean smiled wickedly at last.

"You guys better go," Paige said as she started to walk back to the house, "But I'll help in any way I can once I calm Piper down. And I'll still see if I can convince some of the Elders to help out with Supergirl and the Gathering, Oath or no Oath."

"Be careful, then," Hawk nodded appreciatively as the Misfits and the Joes grabbed to as many X-Men and Slayers and Scoobies they could and teleported away.

Unfortunately, none of the group knew of the cameras attached to the windowsills of the Victorian house that filmed the whole thing…

**Author's Notes: Sorry I was so late with this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed the drama and fights (hey, I said things would be getting ugly eventually and there was a reason I named this chapter this way)! Next Friday, check back when the Misfits, X-Men, and Joes finally learn the truth about the Slayer lore, while things get tense between the Charmed Ones, hitting new low points all around! And let's not forget the brewing trouble from Inspector Sheridan and Agent Keyes! Will things get worse for the Halliwells? You bet! Check back next Friday for the chapter, "Rook Takes Bishop", and until then, read, enjoy, and review! Constructive criticism welcome! And until then, Happy New Year!**


	7. Rook Takes Bishop

**CHAPTER 7: Rook Takes Bishop**

"Can I kill him now?" Dana asked flatly as she glared with an evil eye at Andrew who was still gaping at Batman while blabbing on and on about mundane details about what he knew about the Justice League, such as he knew Wonder Woman was a princess from Paradise Isle and how Green Lantern was ahead of the polls on _sci-fi-geek dot com_ in the most popular superhero of the League by five percent.

"No, you can't kill him, Dana," Kennedy repeated for the hundredth time as she and the other Slayers and Scoobies along with the Misfits, the X-Men, the Joes, General Hawk, Batgirl, and Batman were settling in the main visitor's lounge in the boarding school in London where Giles and the Scoobies were training the other Slayers. After they teleported away from the Halliwell Manor, Wood, Faith, and Willow discussed it before talking to Hawk and Professor Xavier, saying that they could use some additional help in the war against the Heartless and the Thirteenth Order. Since the mutants and the soldiers from G.I. Joe trusted them with the secretive information about the Heartless that they gathered so far from the trials with Apokolips and Trigon, then it was only fair that they inform them of what the Slayers knew of the Gathering and the Experiment. As much as they were wary and cautious, the group sent to San Francisco knew that they would never be able to handle this threat unless if they had help. And the X-Men and the Misfits were just the people to give it to them.

Thus, thanks to Wood, Willow, and Faith to give them all the coordinates, the Slayers, the X-Men, the Misfits, the Joes, and their associates managed to use the Mass Device to teleport directly into the dormitory grounds that housed the many Slayers that traveled from all over the regions of the globe to be trained by Giles and Wood and Faith. Once they entered in the main sanctuary, Willow telepathically contacted Giles and Xander, asking them to come greet a few special guests and to not alert the other girls since it was around suppertime anyway, and Willow felt it would be best if they did not disturb the other potential Slayers from the evening meal, not to mention she felt it was best to not alert the others that mutants were in the locality for now.

When Giles and Xander came, they were astounded beyond belief when they recognized the various mutants belonging to the teams the X-Men and the Misfits along with the G.I. Joes, after hearing numerous reports on the news and television. Needless to say, Giles wasn't too pleased upon seeing the mutants invited into the Slayer academy without his proper consent and notification, but then Wood, Willow, and Faith explained to Giles and Xander what had happened in San Francisco regarding the warlocks, the Heartless and Leomon along with actually running into the Charmed Ones. Naturally, this was a big shock.

"Dear Lord," Giles murmured when it was all done. He wasn't so sure what to believe anymore, but he turned to Xavier and Hawk, saying, "But if what they say is true, then I thank you, both the mutants and the soldiers and minutemen from G.I. Joe on protecting the Slayers and inadvertently saving their lives. We appreciate the help greatly, but please excuse me bluntness if I am still wary. Yes, Charles Xavier, I know about you and the X-Men along with the numerous fiascos that you, the Misfits, and your associates have gotten into time and time again, one disastrous escapade after another like a tragic farce of Monty Python. I know both the Misfits and the X-Men have good intentions, but you should also realize that to the outside world, there is the caution and apprehension of the amount of potential damage any mutant can do to the world, regardless of them being good and evil. Please do not think that I am biased. I myself have witnessed a few of the Slayers turning to the dark side as well, and I also additionally confess that I was a rather moody and foolhardy youth in my earlier years as a wandering troublemaker and delinquent. I welcome all of you, but please keep in mind that I am still cautious of mutants being here."

"Boy, talk about like British snobbery," griped Kitty. Yet Hawk and Ororo shushed the valley girl as they nodded gratefully to the Englishman. Then Giles' eyes rested on the Batman who was standing not too far off inconspicuously and the Watcher's demeanor changed. Xander, however, acted shamelessly as his eyes sparkled with disbelief before he squealed like a typical fan-boy and rushed over to Batman before going down on his knees and bowing over and over fervently.

"_We are not worthy, we are not worthy, we are not worthy…_" Xander chanted, kowtowing to the Dark Knight. Batman had the most disturbed and peculiar look of disgust, surprise, and discomfort all rolled into one priceless expression beneath his cowl.

"Suddenly, Andrew asking the Batman for his autograph doesn't seem so pathetic anymore," Rona commented in a deadpanned tone of voice.

"This is almost too painful to watch," Kennedy sighed in embarrassment as Willow grabbed the one-eyed young man by the ear and lifted him painfully to his feet.

"Will you quit this? You're embarrassing everyone!" the red-haired Wiccan snapped, her patience wearing thin. Then the Gotham vigilante locked his eyes with the Watcher who was frowning at him.

"Batman…" Giles said in a formal yet aloof voice.

The Dark Knight nodded as he greeted back curtly, "Giles."

Xander looked like he was going to have another orgasm of disbelieving happiness as he looked at the Watcher with his jaw dropping wide and asked in pure shock, nearly squealing, "Oh sweet Metriod and Mother Brain and all my comic books in mint condition! **Giles, you _know_ Batman?**"

"Only through Jason Blood, a mutual friend," Giles said stiffly, "I daresay we are only acquaintances, really."

Logan gave Batman a dry look as he remarked, "Do you have connections to **every** person on this planet or what, Bats?"

"He must have a groovy Rolodex," quipped Forge, rolling his eyes.

Andrew and Xander both gaped at the aged Watcher, looking back and forth between Giles and Batman, their mouths popping open and closed like goldfish, rasping for air in wheezes and vain attempts to voice a word through their suddenly dry throats. And not surprisingly, to the amusements of the Slayers, the Joes, and the mutants, they kept at this for a good fifteen seconds.

"Think they'd be stupid enough to pay us good money for some of your personal memorabilia that we somehow managed to find in good faith?" leered Daria as she, Quinn, and Brittany grinned with demonic little smiles at Batman.

"I think we can get an easy five-hundred if we charge them for rides in the Batmobile," Brittany snickered. Batman frowned at the Delgado Triplets.

"I should have known **you** three were behind the mysterious and brief overriding of my security systems to the Batcave last month," the Dark Knight growled, "Which reminds me: what is the new password to my computer systems that you three little monsters so conveniently changed to in your destructive romp in my headquarters?"

"What makes you think it was us?" Daria smiled a bit too innocently.

Batman didn't answer but his frown intensified even more, and Trinity knew that they were dangerously crossing the line so they had better fess up if they wanted their butts intact.

Brittany stated, "We changed your password to '_Superman rules, Batman drools_'."

Batman's eyes widened before his left eye twitched ever so slightly and his teeth were now bared and clenched painfully. Of all the underhanded, dirty - ! And what made it worse was that the computer systems required Batman to speak his password _verbally_ so that it could hone in and identify his voice to the correct frequency. And there was no way in hell he was going to say **that** one out loud.

"I told you that would get him," cackled Quinn, "Look, his eye is already twitching! Boy, no wonder Superman was willing to pay us seventy-five bucks to change the password to that phrase. Oh yeah, and that reminds me, Batman! Superman says this is to pay you back for the time when you drank the last of the coffee in the Watchtower galley, even though the bag had Superman's name on it. He says after this, _now_ you two are even."

"I **rue** the day you three lunatics were even born," growled Batman, his voice now precariously feral.

"You're not the only one, Batman," Jean remarked flatly from the sidelines, commiserating with the Gotham Knight.

Andrew and Xander then burst at Giles, nearly squealing in falsetto tones, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US THAT YOU KNEW THE BATMAN?"

Giles gave them a glare before he answered sternly, "Because I knew that if I told you, you both would act like complete, bloody dunderheads and do nothing but pester me with questions and requests about Batman's life and whether or not I can get you two his autograph or get your picture taken with him."

"Smart man," Hawk remarked, one eyebrow raised at the Slayers. Kennedy shrugged.

"He has his moments," she replied as she settled down next to the couch with Willow, holding the Wiccan's pale and smooth hand in her tanned and callused one.

Jean then coughed nervously as she asked, "Um…Mr. Giles? Since we're here, can you explain to us about the whole Slayer thing? Please excuse our ignorance, but we have no idea what a Slayer is and since you're being targeted by the Organization as well and it's apparent that these girls aren't normal humans, can you explain to us what exactly is a Slayer?"

"Seems fair since you guys know so much about us," Pietro piped up eagerly, interested.

"Yeah, give us the skinny on this whole Slayer stuff!" Forge encouraged. Shannon gave the mutant inventor of the X-Men a dry look before she turned to Rogue and Shadowcat.

"Does he always speak like some he's some teenager from the seventies or something?" the Slayer asked. Rogue and Kitty just smiled at each other knowingly before they turned to the brown-haired girl.

"Actually, he_ is_," Rogue explained, "Forge is a forty-something person trapped in a teenager's body due to the fact that he spent the last thirty years trapped in some dimensional limbo called 'Middleverse'."

"And because Forge is like so totally set in the rave from the seventies and because he's now like contemporaneous with us when we freed him from Middleverse, we eventually grew up to tolerate his lingo. You eventually get used to it. If anything, what annoys us more are like totally the explosions he causes in the Institute," Kitty explained.

Shannon had the most peculiar look on her face, but some of the emotions on her face were running the gamut of confusion, disbelief, and what-the-hell. The Slayer then muttered crossly, rolling her eyes, "Fine, don't tell me the truth."

"You have to admit, it is a bit like unbelievable when you first hear it," Kitty said to her teammate.

Faith nodded at the Joes, saying, "I don't see why not. Red, think ya' can do some magic mumbo-jumbo to show them a few stuff while we tell the whole shin-dig?"

Willow grinned as she said a few choice words in Latin as she took some powder from a glass jar in the center of the coffee table and sprinkled some of the dust on the wooden surface, causing the yellow substance to glow and sparkle in the light. And to the mutants' amazements, the dust began to swirl and move by itself as if picked up by an invisible force of water or wind before forming a portal of smoke and lights. And in the center of the circular portal were moving images, like a movie projector.

"Whoa!" Lance gasped.

"How is this possible?" Low Light blurted.

Spirit answered, "It's magic. She created a window for us to view certain events from their thoughts and memories, almost like Trinity's _Telepathic Projector 5000_. Is that correct Ms. Rosenberg?"

Willow nodded, smiling as she said, "Exactly, Spirit."

Then for the next two hours, the X-Men, the Misfits, the Joes, and Batgirl listened intently as they learned about the legend and lore of the vampire slayer, or more generally known as the Slayer. Needless to say, it was quite remarkable and quite a tale to learn of.

If they thought that the briefing they got from the Charmed Ones was astounding, it was nothing compared to the feelings of amazement and surprise when they learned about the Slayers and the images Willow showed them through her thought-projection spell.

They listened as Giles and Wood narrated how the Slayer is a girl, a single human female chosen in each generation, was gifted by Fate and destiny to be selected to fight and kill all entities of evil to protect the Earth from the scourges of the supernatural evil such as werewolves, demons, hags, zombies, but mostly vampires. They also explained that the entire legacy originated from Africa in which three shamans called the Shadowmen decided to forcibly bless a girl with the strength, agility, and dexterity of a demon in order to be able to prove a match to other demons and monsters. In other words, a Slayer was a human girl who used the capabilities of darkness for the forces of good and to protect innocents, similar to the code of the Charmed Ones, but unlike the Charmed Ones, there could only be one Slayer alive in the world in time (and Giles decided it was best to not explain the whole Faith-Kendra-Buffy subplot at the time). Should the current girl dies due to a violent death or old age (though that latter option has rarely, if ever, happened), then the mantle of the vampire Slayer would magically pass from to another girl who had the capabilities to harness the gift and the curse. Thus, ever since the beginning, girls have been picked by Fate and there had always been a Slayer around and living in the world to protect it.

Then the two men narrated the role of the Watchers and the Guardians, and how the Watchers were a human-formed society of people knowledgeable in the magical arts, folklore, and weaponry created specifically to train and watch over the Slayers, guiding them in their quests to fight evil. Watchers could be either men or women, but they were bound by their oath and their duty to watch over the Slayers under their wards and to train and protect them as best as they could. The Guardians, on the other hand and as Xander put in bluntly, the Watchers of the Watchers, albeit in a supernatural sense. The Guardians were female women, presumed to be immortal, who also additionally protected the Slayers, albeit clandestinely, and to do so, with their powerful magic and gifts, they forged a single Scythe that was used over a millennia ago to exterminate the last Earth-roaming demon and created solely to be harnessed by the Slayer to destroy all mortal evil. In other words, the Guardians were the cavalry for the Slayers when all else failed.

Then as a final grim reminder, Wood, Willow, Xander, and Giles all took turns telling of the final battle of the Hellmouth in the California town called Sunnydale. The Hellmouth was exactly what the name entailed, an opening to the bowels of Hell and should it ever be opened, it would bring upon an apocalypse to the human world. The four then explained how the First, the very force that created all Evil in the Earth in the first place, summoned all the Bringers and the enemies of the Slayers to round up and kill innocent girls called the Potentials, girls who were lesser in expertise and strength but who had the capabilities to be a potential future Slayer should the current Slayer ever die, hoping to end the line of the Slayer for good and permanently. Upon discovering that the Watcher's Council were all killed, Giles, one of the few remaining Watchers alive, gathered all the Potentials he could find all over the world, and all the girls gathered at Sunnydale to join forces and be trained by the two original and foremost Slayers, Faith and Buffy. And using the essence of the Scythe of the Guardians, Buffy had Willow use the power of the talisman to bless all Potentials in the world to become immediate and activated Slayers, breaking the rules the Shadowmen once created. At that point on, any girl who could be a Slayer was immediately granted the power of a Slayer from birth. At that point on, instead of one Slayer being Chosen to protect the world, thousands of Slayers were being Chosen at an exponential rate.

And with this newly-created army, all the Slayers fought the vampires called the Turok-Han and beat back the First's army with a vengeance at the Seal of Danthazar.

It was quite a tale to behold when finished, and despite what they had seen and been through for the past years, the X-Men, the Misfits, the Joes, and Batman were silent, awed and full of wonder and admiration for the Scoobies and the Slayers.

"Whoa!" gasped Toad.

"So most of the girls here are Slayers, save Willow?" asked Jean, her eyes wide with surprise. The group nodded. Kurt was feeling a little a little sad as he looked at the Slayers, and some such as Kennedy and Shannon and Vi were touched that he had tears in his eyes.

"But, _Mein Gott_! All those innocent girls that were so cruelly killed, and that Caleb person so described makes me ashamed to be a part of the Catholic Church! I'm so sorry for your losses. Regardless of what you have been trained to do or how little of a chance you got to know those who died, my condolences are with all of you."

"Thank you," Vi said, nodding, "And I know what you mean. It's never easy to get over it when you view death for the first time."

"Tell us about it," Roberto said, shivering at the memories of the massacre at H.I.V.E. Academy.

Meanwhile, a few of the mutants and the Joes were looking upon the images of the Turok-Han Willow had summoned with her spell. It was a rather daunting sight, and from what they could discern and make out, the vampire was not anything like you would typical see in a low-quality horror movie; this was enough to make anyone cringe.

"So that is a Turok-Han," murmured Fred, studying its movements, "I gotta say, they certainly don't appear easy to take out. Jubilee was lucky to survive the one that was sent to her house to murder her folks."

"Goddess," Ororo gasped, "And this creature of darkness was sent by Phoebe Halliwell?"

Willow shook her head as she explained, "You're forgetting Phoebe is one of the Charmed Ones, and she is also a Wiccan, a white witch. White witches cannot use the spirit of the Gaia force and of the Mother Earth to be used for anything evil or malicious. A Wiccan is a good magic-user, a noble soul and virtuous. There is no way Phoebe could be that evil enough to control a servant of the First."

"I'd doubt it," muttered Blind Master, "She used to be the Queen of Hell, and if she could betray her sisters to fall in love with a demon, then she could be capable of anything."

"No, Blind Master," Batman said, breaking the conversation, "I know the Halliwells, and I still stand by my assertion that they are being framed, especially since Batgirl tells me that Leomon has confirmed my suspicions that the Thirteenth Order is after the Nexus that resides in Halliwell Manor."

"Wait, so what exactly is the Nexus?" Dragonfly asked, looking at Hawk and Batman, "I mean, the Halliwells were able to mention that they know of it, but we have no idea what it is or what it has to do with the whole Gathering and the Organization."

Batman then explained, "The Nexus is a magical force that is the embodiment of Earth magic in its purest form, a neutral entity of powerful mystical energy that can be used for either evil or good. Batman was able to learn about it when we contacted Margali Sefton and Dr. Strange. The reason the Nexus is so powerful is because it is a power that is linked to everything on the planet. Every tree, every living organism, every material, rock, metal, water and air molecule is linked to the earthly essence of the planet which many Wiccans and white-magic users called the Mother Earth, or Gaia. Since the Gaia force sustains life, think of the Nexus as a vitalizing energy that is connected to every living and non-living thing that is created in this planet. And we suspect that it's the huge source of magic we had trouble pinpointing in San Francisco from the Watchtower's sensors. It's because it's located in the depths right underneath the foundation of the Halliwells' house."

"Gee, isn't** that** convenient," Rogue remarked sourly with suspicion.

"Huh? I don't get it," Toad remarked.

"Think of it as a battery that any bad or good guy could use for unlimited magical energy, Toad," X23 summed it up none-too-gracefully for the Misfit.

Todd nodded as he said, catching on, "Ooooooooh! I gotcha!"

"But…what could the Hellfire Club want with the Nexus? They wouldn't be able to use it! They're mutants, and none of them are wizards! It would be useless to them!" Caridad pointed out, but Batman shook his head.

"You're forgetting that Selene is a member of the Inner Circle along with the Thirteenth Order and Blackheart, people in which I do not doubt that know more dark magic is more powerful and dangerous than anything the First could ever bequeath to the Bringers or to Caleb. They _would_ know what to do with such a thing. Should they ever gain the Nexus, a vest, boundless and immeasurable source of magic and ever combine it to the Heartless…"

"Yikes," Shipwreck muttered, realizing the situation, "Then they'd be pretty damn near unstoppable."

"Yeesh, that's not good," Xi remarked.

Bobby rolled his eyes as he groaned, "And just our luck, it's being guarded and looked over by three witches who want nothing to do with us and who are complete jerks! And I still think that Phoebe - !"

"Shut it, Iceman," Batman growled, and the mutant teenager clamped up, red in the face

"And there's still the problem with the Heartless," Althea added, "Think about it. The Hellfire Club and the Thirteenth Order know by know that we're searching for clues and that we're on to them in San Francisco, and they have the power of the Heartless on their side. And think about this: we couldn't even handle _one_ Heartless, even with the Slayers and magic and the Charmed Ones on our side. Unless Leomon is willing to stick with us and be willing to fight an entire army of Heartless for us, we'll _really_ be up the creek."

"What makes you think we'll have to face an army?" Faith asked, curious. Wood then answered for his girlfriend and lover.

"It makes sense," Wood said, "That Heartless attacking us was no accident, and it was probably meant as a test to see how well our capabilities were, for both the Slayers and the Charmed Ones. Now that they've already gone through a trail run, that means that they'll have no problem releasing an army of Heartless just to wipe us all out in their plans to grab this Nexus the Halliwells are guarding."

"And it would be a given that the Hellfire Club will do it," Batgirl pondered, frowning, "They already had no problem murdering the children of H.I.V.E. Academy to produce Heartless experiments, and if they want the Nexus so badly, then they'll be willing to release an army of them. If we can't take out one of these new forms of the Heartless, then image what a small group of them could do."

The thought was certainly foreboding.

"Man, yo," breathed Toad in worry, "Now a part of me wishes we were fighting those Heartless in Jump City before Trigon came, cause they were a hell of a lot easier to take out and make sure that they wouldn't hurt innocent people, yo!"

Though a few wanted to point out the thoughtlessness of that comment considering that those Heartless specimens were kids who had been experimented on by the Hellfire's associates, gracefully, no one said anything. They could understand the reasoning and emotion behind Toad's remark.

"Wait!" exclaimed Avalanche, "Maybe we can ask Leomon to help us protect the Nexus! He seemed to be worried for the Charmed Ones! I'm sure he'll want to help us make sure that the Organization and the Hellfire Club can't get their mitts on the Nexus!"

"Oh God, here we go again," muttered Jean under her breath, rolling her eyes.

"Right now, I can honestly say that I would prefer it had Alvers been ranting and obsessively talking about Kitty instead. At least _that_ would have been _less_ pathetic," Cyclops whispered to her disdainfully. Low Light sighed before he turned to the geokinetic.

"I have to agree with Jean and Cyclops, Avalanche. It's too risky to fully trust Leomon, especially since it is apparent he does not trust us. You can't always rely on someone that's not on your team, especially since Leomon's still just as dangerous when we first ran into him at Jump City."

"I don't believe you guys!" snapped Lance, "How can you just sit there and think that? Leomon is on our side, he just won't admit it!"

"And _you're_ too stubborn to admit that Leomon is too much of a risk for us to entirely trust him! Need I remind you what he did to Raven?" Wanda argued as she stood up, her hands on her hips. Lance looked extremely betrayed; had it been Pietro or Toad or Althea to shoot him down, fine, but Wanda and Lance had always more or less gotten along in the past.

"I don't believe this!" shouted Lance, now starting to lose his temper, "If you were my friend, you'd support me in this!"

"And if I **really was** your friend, I'd tell you when you're doing something stupid! And thinking that Leomon cares about us and that you've developed a bond with him just simply because he saved your life and because you took him with us at H.I.V.E. Academy certainly _qualifies_ as stupid! You're just biased and refuse to look at any real possibilities that Leomon might be manipulating us from the very beginning!" Wanda shot back.

"And you're just biased because Leomon stabbed Raven in order to save her!" Lance retorted.

"Lance, like, Leomon was sent to _kill_ Raven! You can't just totally ignore that! Raven nearly died because of him!" Kitty protested gently, trying to support Scarlet Witch. There was a flash of surprised gratitude in Wanda's eyes immediately afterwards.

"**But he didn't want to!** He didn't want to kill Raven; he was ordered to do it! And in the end, he saved her! And it was Brother Blood and Trigon who nearly killed her!" Avalanche raged at Kitty. Kitty looked taken aback at the harsh insistence of the Misfit's voice; Lance before had never yelled at her in this way.

"Yeah, by _killing_ her! That's a funny way of saving someone the last time we checked!" Wanda commented flatly, sarcastically. Lance's face reddened as he simply glowered at Scarlet Witch.

Xi, who was remaining quiet until this point, then gently pointed out to Lance, "Lance…also think of it this way: whoever sent Leomon had no remorse of assassinating Raven to stop the Gathering of Twilight and probably doesn't care too much about us to let us know **how** to stop the Heartless threat. Otherwise, he would have told Leomon to also additionally inform anyone who may be endangered by the Heartless. This points to the likelihood that Leomon's boss, whoever he is, is probably evil or has a hand in the end of the world. And if Leomon's boss is evil, then it's a safe bet that Leomon is too."

"Oh great, now you hate him too!" Lance snarled, whirling on the green lizard.

"Enough," Roadblock said strongly as he got in between Lance and Wanda, "It's going to already rough. And right now, another fight we definitely don't need. We need to plan to fight the Heartless together if we're gonna succeed."

"We'll train, then," Wolverine explained, "We'll need to get ready for the Heartless threat and hopefully find a way to gather and make sure that we'll be enough for a match with the Hellfire Club's army."

"Wait a minute," Wood exclaimed, surprised, "Marvin, you're…you're actually **offering** to help train the Slayers and the Potentials at the Pit with the Misfits and G.I. Joe?"

Roadblock grinned as he said, "We teamed up before to fight Trigon and Darkseid, and those times were just as dark and grim! Don't' see why the Slayers and us can't work together through the thick and thin!"

"And I as well, Mr. Giles and Mr. Wood," Xavier said sincerely with a small smile, "And despite it all, I do agree with Hawk in this instance. We need more allies, and if we need any hope to take down the Heartless and the Organization, then we need to help ensure that everyone is informed on what we're dealing with and how to deal with it. We can help each other out in this war, if you both are willing. And the Hellfire Club does not seem discriminate enough to leave the Slayers alone if you do stand in their path for the Gathering of Twilight, as Leomon has indicated."

Giles seemed to be wrestling with the decision before he spoke, "Very well, then. I can see it is far better in the long run to work together and perhaps build a relationship of trust and the common goal to protect this planet. And I suppose, this could actually be a wonderful experience to help teach the girls more about tolerance by working with mutants and members of G.I. Joe. You have my full consent, Professor Xavier. Though I can warn you that it will not be easy to integrate our two groups together. It shall take some time."

Kennedy waved off dismissively, "Ah, us Slayers have gone through worse. We can handle anything the mutants can do in their training!"

Scott shot Kennedy a wicked grin of easy-going banter as he warned with jest, "Just to let you know, our training is nothing like what you Slayers have been through before. It might be a little intense being in our Danger Room and in our Institute."

Xi made a sound similar to a scoffing "_pcah_" as he added, "Oh please, that's nothing. Try doing army training with the Joes for a day. It's enough to make a Level 13 Danger Room session feel like a walk in the park instead."

Xander grinned as he finished in a mock-accent of Arnold Schwarzenegger, "In other words, we're gonna pump up, _yah_?"

"_Yah_," answered back Fred, Todd, Kurt, and Roberto in returning horrible imitations of Austrian accents before they all fell into a fit of guffawing.

Giles bit back a groan as he said in an aloof voice of irritation, "And once again, Xander, you ever so manage to delicately boil down an extremely verbose and eloquent idea down to its simplest, possible form as always. Thank you ever so much for that rather tactless and crude joke."

"Always happy to do my part, G," Xander grinned, the sarcasm obviously lost on him.

Meanwhile, Hawk noticed Batman seeming pensive.

"You're worried about the Halliwells," Hawk said. He could tell what his friend was feeling from the way he defended the Charmed Ones earlier when Iceman called Phoebe a whore.

Batman said shortly, "They will never be enough to protect the Nexus and stand against the Hellfire Club. Gideon is sentencing them to their eventual deaths."

Hawk offered, "Hopefully, now that Piper had a chance to calm down and think about it, perhaps she and her sisters will be preparing themselves for the Heartless and if the Hellfire Club should ever try barging their way through their house."

Batman stared at Hawk before he replied, "We're still not going to stand by and watch them get killed."

Hawk agreed strongly, "No, we're not."

With that, Batman laid his hand on Batgirl's shoulder, and using the teleporter watch Trinity gave her, Batgirl teleported via the Mass Device back to the Watchtower with her mentor in tow. There was a small silence of contemplation before Shipwreck piped up as the adults watched the kids eagerly converse among themselves.

"Just so we're clear on the situation," the Joe sailor said, "The Earth and everyone living in it is in danger of being destroyed by an enemy we've never encountered before called the Heartless and the Organization…"

Logan then grunted, "And they're definitely more powerful and cunning than all the other the creeps we've fought in the past, especially now that they've appeared to be bringing in our most dangerous enemies left and right."

"And the only hope to fight this new threat in San Francisco is a bunch of overactive and hyper, if not bloodthirsty, teenagers and adolescents, destined to make or break the world with their gifts and abilities," finished Wood, starting to realize where this was heading.

There was another small silence between the Joes, Logan, Xavier, and the Watchers before Giles winced, the thought of the consequences if all else failed being too painful for him to process all at once.

"Ah yes, the Earth is definitely doomed," sighed Giles with lugubrious sarcasm.

---

Meanwhile, back at San Francisco, things were hardly hopeful at one of the very top platforms of the numerous towers of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was still early in the morning, barely an hour before dawn, and with all the fog and cold mist surrounding the bay and river, no one would take so much trouble to try to peer upwards and spot for anything suspicious (if they could even see that far up). Of course, thankfully, no one had sharp enough ears either to hear the screaming and raving match (mostly from Piper and Leo) as Piper, Leo, Phoebe, and Paige were "discussing" the past events with the Slayers, the Misfits, the X-Men, and the Batman with Elder Gideon and Elder Sandra.

"You goddamned hypocrite!" snarled Leo, his hands tightly balled into fists and the only things preventing him from tackling and beating Elder Gideon to a bloody pulp were Phoebe and Paige as they held to his arms pleadingly in restraint and the fact that there would be severe consequences if he even attempted it by Krygaw and Damionax. The goateed-man just regarded the ex-Whitelighter curiously with some disdain, not even the least bit intimidated or scared.  
"I see spending time as an exiled mortal hasn't really taught you much in dealing with tact and manner, Leo," the Elder regarded stiffly.

"Don't play that crap on us and sideline the issue, you manipulative, smug asshole!" Leo growled, shaking Paige's nervous fingers off him before he fully bellowed, "You, out of all Whitelighters, have the nerve to try and send demons to kill my sons for being of half-Whitelighter and half-Wiccan bloodlines when you yourself are no better, you lousy, two-faced son of a bitch! You have a son who's also half-Whitelighter and half-mortal! **_And you have the nerve to look down on me and Piper?_** So help me, when this is all over, I'm going to do whatever it takes to bring you down and beat you to a bloody pulp!"

"Leo, the Council already knew about Justin and his lineage," Sandra explained wearily, trying to act as a peacemaker, "Though it was a shock, I can assure you all that they did not expect the Misfit to develop his powers nor could they foresee that Justin would turn out to be a mutant in the end. That was why the Immortal Council and the other Elders didn't see it to be any use to persecute the boy because he did not pose any valid threat. His powers did not come from magical intervention but because of his X-Gene and mutation. Thus, they thought it would be best to let him be and live peacefully."

"Gee, why is it I'm not surprised?" Piper snapped bitterly at the short-haired woman, "When anything concerning Elder Gideon comes up, you're willing to turn away and look in the other direction while having no problems enforcing the rules with us! No wonder we can't really rely on the Elders! You just let Justin the bastard have a cushy and pampered life while Wyatt and Chris were unfairly targeted and looked down upon by everyone, and when they were in danger, none of you lifted up a damn finger for their sakes! **We** had to protect them all by ourselves while you just kowtowed to that Misfit for his every whim! **_It never changes!_** You sacrifice our well being for everyone else who's less deserving! I wish you never even had a son, Gideon!"

The Whitelighter elder didn't bother pointing out to Piper that she was jumping to conclusions; any additional person to hate that lucky, half-bred mistake was perfectly fine with him.

Gideon's face went dark as he muttered with cheated misery, "For once, I actually agree, Piper. Everyone's lives would have been a lot better off without that accident existing in this world."

"Not all of us," remarked Sandra rather darkly as she glared at an impassive and unapologetic Gideon, "I agree with Hawk, Gideon. What you did to your own son was absolutely horrible, despicable even."

Gideon's eyes went cold as he growled, "Be careful on your words, Sandra. Lest you have forgotten, I am **your** superior, and I am also the Elders of Elders. You have absolutely **no** authority to reprimand me."

Sandra was still unwilling to back down and apologize, the injustice of it flaring her temper as she protested with gall, "Your own son, Gideon! How could you treat him like that? **He's just a boy!**"

"My _only_ sons are Krygaw and Damionax, Sandra," Gideon said with icy finality, and that settled it. At the same time, Piper was furiously arguing with the older sister.

"Piper, stop it!" Paige yelled, now angry and instantly coming to Justin and Hawk's defense, "You can't blame Justin for the fact that we're being targeted by the Thirteenth Order no more can you blame General Hawk for using the Oath when it's his right to use it whenever he wanted! And you're being stupid! Justin said that Gideon didn't do what was right to him anyways!"

"Forgive me if I hardly believe you," groused Piper, "And I can blame whoever I want, so _butt out, Paige_!"

"Piper, Paige, **STOP!**" yelled Phoebe as she got in between her two quarrelling sisters, "This isn't going to help anyone, and we need to concentrate on the larger issue at hand!"

Phoebe then turned to Elder Sandra, one of the few Whitelighter immortals who would always be sympathetic and defensive of the Charmed Ones' collective behalf. Sandra herself pleaded and argued for Leo and the Halliwells when they stood accused for treason against the world and the Whitelighters themselves by siding with the Avatars and when Leo chose to become mortal and lose his status of a Whitelighter. Granted, she didn't like their decision or those moments of oversight and failure, but Sandra knew that the magical world needed the Charmed witches in order to survive. And unlike Gideon and a good portion of the Whitelighters (and this Phoebe and Paige appreciated the most), she was not biased against the mortal and "lesser" races such as the Slayers or mutants.

Elder Sandra had to follow Gideon's authority and rules like any dutiful Elder…but she could soften the blows and ramifications for the Charmed Ones as well.

Phoebe asked, hopeful and distraught, "Is there anything you or the other Elders can do to fix this? You know I didn't murder Jubilee's parents or else I would be powerless and would no longer be charmed by the protection spells of the Halliwell matriarchs. And I don't even have fire powers anymore, not since I rejected Balthezor and annulled our marriage!"

Sandra looked truly helpless and remorseful and sorrowful as she shook her head.

"We know you did not do anything, Phoebe," Sandra explained, "But even if we did, you know the rules as well as we do. We cannot interfere nor exhibit any assistance to the mortal world, even if it is due to a magical blight or evil entity. The laws state that the world of magic and immortals must always remain separate and distinct from the world of mortals and humans. That was the whole reason why the Whitelighters can only speak to their charges and help the witches they are assigned to in order to protect the world. We can only show the path and give advice and valuable guidance…but we cannot fight the battles for them. You have to endure this war by yourselves. I am truly sorry, Phoebe, but we cannot fight this war for your benefit."

"That's a nice way of expressing gratitude!" Piper raged, her hands on her hips, "And it's also easy for you to say! You don't have children and family members in danger from the Hellfire Club!"

Phoebe then pointed out, trying to argue her case delicately, "But what about **information**, then? That doesn't involve you direct involvement, and we don't know anything except what that Leomon warrior had warned us about how the Organization is targeting us for the Nexus! Can you at least help us with that? We searched through the Book of Shadows, but we cannot locate anything about the Heartless and the Thirteenth Order! Heck, there isn't even anything about this Gathering of Twilight or Experiment 666!"

Paige then broke in, "And I asked all our magical allies that we've helped from time to time, but they don't know anything either. The dwarves, the leprechauns, the fairies, the pixies, the mermaids, and even the valkyries…_there's nothing!_ Apparently, whatever this Gathering and Experiment is, it's _not_ magical and it's _not_ a part of this world before, I can tell you that. These races existed since the beginning of the dawn of time when the magical and mortal worlds on Earth first separated, but not even their historians can detect anything significant! In fact, the only thing close to a 'Gathering of Twilight' was the name of the festival for the fairies on the event of a new moon on Midsummer's Night in order to celebrate the coming of the animals in harmony. No offense, but something tells me that wasn't it."

Sandra again shook her head as she explained, "Unfortunately, the same goes for the Elders as well, Paige. None of our records can even recalling any evil entity referred to as the Heartless ever existing in this world since time began, and there is additionally no such record about the Organization or the Gathering. We have some information regarding the Hellfire Club, especially Selene, but I am afraid to say that it is extremely limited due to the fact that the Elders never bothered keeping record of the activities of evil mortals and mutants. I daresay even Professor Xavier knows more about the Inner Circle than we do. Selene is powerful, and she is an immortal External of black magic that can only be possibly overpowered by the Ancients and the Demon Lords such as Samhain, the First, Skullmaster, or Shendu. **But she is Earth-bound**. Whatever the Heartless and the Organization are, they are a new threat that is not of the rules of this world or ours or anything on Earth. And that makes them _extremely_ dangerous. Because they are beings that do not follow the rules of our planes of reality and magic. But your mysterious lion-friend was right: we can sense it, and it is coming."

Leo muttered worriedly, "And the problem is Leomon said that it was very likely that is may not be possible to stop it."

Gideon just smiled inwardly to himself as he said brusquely, enjoying the hole that the witches and Leo had dug themselves into, "And thus, your only concern is to prepare yourselves the best you can and fight the Inner Circle. We can tell you that the Turok-Han are very powerful, the Neanderthal version of the modern-day vampire, and if the Hellfire Club has them under their control, then it is apparent that the girl's inadvertent murder of her family in order to frame you is no accident. Needless to say, if those mutant abominations wills not take your word that you did have a hand in the killings nor will they take General Hawk's word, then it is apparent that they will not take mine. And that's only under the assumption that I will even bother showing myself to those mortals, in which** I won't**."

Piper looked like she was ready to explode, her face now turning into an unhealthy crimson. Leo held on to his wife protectively while glaring hatefully at the two elder Whitelighters. Phoebe and Paige both looked taken aback at the sudden callousness of the Elder Whitelighter. They anticipated there would be some resentment and dislike after the ugly incident with the Avatars, but nothing like this. This was nothing short of abandonment.

"Just take heart to my previous advice, Charmed Ones," Gideon finished, "Either defend the Nexus or destroy it before it can be harnessed by Zankou and his newfound allies. Fail, and you are to blame for any repercussions from your weaknesses."

Piper could hold it in anymore as she screamed, "This isn't fair! You have to help us, after everything we've done for the past years to vanquish evil and protect the magical races, including the Whitelighters and the Elders from the Titans when they were resurrected! We helped you! This isn't fair! **You have to help us! _You owe us!_**"

Gideon just gave a haughty sneer.

He said self-righteously, "I believe to echo your own words you said to the X-Men and the Misfits: get over yourself, Piper, for this is not our war to fight. After your betrayals with the Avatars, we owe you and your sisters _nothing_."

And with that, the two Whitelighters orbed away, and the four were left alone to ponder their own unwilling and unbearable future. Paige didn't say anything as she touched Phoebe and Leo's (who was still holding on lovingly to a devastated Piper) shoulders before she orbed them all back to the Halliwell manor in the attic. Phoebe exhaled, grimacing.

"Well…that's that. There's nothing for us to do but fight, then. As best as we can, and until then, we can only prepare ourselves for the worst," the brunette said. Paige then spoke to Phoebe.

"Maybe we can contact General Hawk again and let him know that we're willing to join him in the fight against the Heartless and the Organization. I don't care if the X-Men suspect us of murder, but if we're going to survive, I'd trust Batman and General Hawk, and if we will have to request their help and return the favor by fighting for the sake of the world, then I'm all up for it."

But before Phoebe could voice an answer, Piper whirled on the youngest, livid, before she snapped, "Absolutely no way in hell! I do not trust Batman or General Hawk, and that goes the same for the X-Men and Professor Xavier! You heard him! That girl who tried to kill us used to be his former student! How do we know he's not trying to manipulate us along with Hawk? And for that matter, how can we even trust the side of the X-Men and join them in fighting and risking our own lives and exposing our magic to the entire world? **We are not going!**"

"And I say otherwise, Piper!" Paige snapped, not backing down.

"You better, Paige!" the Wiccan exploded, flying off the handle, "Don't you dare do this, especially when we found out how you still helped Batgirl and went behind my back after what the X-Men said and how one of them even tried to kill me! How can you turn your own back on your family and drag us even further into this fight? How could you?"

"It's the right thing to do!"

"And it's not our fight! So stop this now! You're already a terrible excuse of a sister without having a huge ego and a hero-complex!"

"Piper!" Leo reprimanded, but Paige then shot back with the worst insult she could ever say.

"I'm a terrible excuse of a sister?" she snapped, "Well, then by the same token, since you're too stubborn and cowardly to realize that this is our fight and that if we don't, Chris and Wyatt we certainly die and perish if they get caught in the crossfire of the war and the Gathering, **then you're a terrible excuse of a mother!**"

_Crack!_

Phoebe gasped before holding her hands to her mouth in horror and dreadful shock while Leo's eyes went glassy with surprise…and tragic hurt. Paige felt her cheek sting agonizingly a bit, but she just shipped her eyes back at her eldest sister, not even showing any indication that the slap Piper delivered on her cheek had hurt her (though secretly, it was more of an emotional blow to her soul).

"Slapping another Whitelighter half-breed, Piper?" Paige growled coldly, "I guess since I'm only your half-sibling, I'm just as good as a stranger to you as well as Justin is. I guess our blood isn't as thick as we once thought."

Though Paige's eyes were stinging and there was a ball of hot grief climbing up her throat, the girl absolutely refused to cry, steely willing herself to not give in the urge to weep. But it was Piper who began weeping as the strangest look of comprehension dawned on her face, as if she was watching a loved one lose their balance and fall off a cliff only to tumble and plummet to a painful death below. Piper actually sobbed softly as she covered her mouth with one hand while her eyes crinkled and tears spilled out.

"Why did you make me do that?" she sniffed, crying, "Why? Why?"

Paige wanted to break, to cry alongside her sister, to hug her and say that she didn't mean it, but she, like her eldest sister, was a stubborn creature of pure grit and persistent doggedness. Without a word and her curly, brown hair dancing off her shoulders in her mad stomp, Paige just silently and passive-aggressively marched out of the attic and stomped downstairs before retreating into her bedroom and slamming the door with extra passion. Exactly like Phoebe did on that night Batman, General Hawk, and Elder Gideon came to visit them on that night. Phoebe then went to Piper before she hugged her sister, tenderly whispering, "It's all right. It's all right, Piper. She knew you didn't mean it…"

Yet as Phoebe and Leo tried to comfort Piper, none of them paid any attention to the leather-bound Book of Shadows. The magical wards and protection wards of centuries, crafted and painstakingly made with loving care and devotion by the Halliwell matriarchs, had finally collapsed, no longer bound by the sisterly bond of the Charmed Ones. And because the magic no longer guarded the essence of the historical tome, there it lay on the wooden stand, vulnerable, exposed…and ready for any mortal or creature of evil to snatch it away for its precious secrets.

Rip!

With a soft noise too inaudible for human ears, the leather cover of the Book of Shadows displaying the united symbol of the triquetra split apart, and jagged cracks like spider-webs delicately crawled throughout the jacket until the triquetra was divided into three pieces, no longer intertwined and each spike of the symbol now surrounded by a permanent tear, a great divide.

---

Meanwhile, several hours ago…

"Oh my God," murmured one federal agent.

"Oh holy shit," whispered another to himself, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets while his jaw dropped so wide, it made his joints ache.

"What the hell have these Halliwells been doing?" a female secretary named Jennifer asked incredulously, taking in the images with troubled eyes, as if scarcely daring to believe it.

"Geez, just when I thought we had enough to handle with mutant freaks and alien freaks, now we have to deal with **_magical_** freaks? God, what is this world coming to? Makes it so that us normal human folk can't go anywhere without running into some sort of weirdo that doesn't belong in this planet!" a grizzled police officer remarked, muttering these words with contempt and scorn.

"And we have their discussion all on record," Keyes said in a barely restrained and excited sort of voice, as if finally seeing the fruits of his labor and investigations, "This is just as good as a goddamned confession! Don't you see? We have enough to bring this up to the Supreme Court! **_The goddamned Supreme Court!_**"

Indeed, Agent Keyes of Homeland Security had good reason to be jubilant. Every moment of the incriminating footage of when the Charmed Ones, the Slayers, the X-Men, the Misfits, the Joes, Batgirl, and Batman from the instant they gathered into the living room, not one but two of the cameras that Inspector Sheridan had planted outside the house had dutifully and successfully recorded it, in full glory, sound and color.

The minute Keyes' men had alerted the federal agent from the Department of Homeland Security about a recent development, Keyes and Sheridan simply sprinted to the room where they, Keyes' investigation team, and quite a few officers from the San Francisco police department watched and listened in, curious to what the big commotion was all about. In no time at all, nearly the entire San Francisco task force in the building was gathered around the monitors that the federal agents spliced into the main network, allowing the footage to be broadcast on the monitors of the main foyer for everyone to see, at Sheridan's insistence.

For the past hour, the federal agents, the police officers, Inspector Sheridan, and Agent Keyes listened and watched everything. Like most of the general public, they were no strangers to the recent mutant hysteria that has been gripping the nation and world like a cancerous disease, so most if not everyone could immediately recognize the members of the X-Men and the Misfits, the two infamous groups of mutants who fight for the goal of human-mutant peace. Agent Keyes and Sheridan also recognized the members of G.I. Joe along with their leader and commanding superior, General Hawk. Though Sheridan had to admit to herself that Hawk was a brilliant and steadfast person, Agent Keyes remarked that he and the rest of the Federal Bureau of Investigation refer to G.I. Joe as the mockery of the United States army, a group of military rejects that were looked down as the butt of jokes by all respectable officials in politics and the three branches of government. Considering that they were "pathetic, mutant-loving, bleeding hearts" (as Keyes put it), many were not surprised to see them tagging alongside the mutants.

Yet all became as silent as a tomb in the room and building, save for the phones ringing in the background, as the police officers, the sergeants, the inspectors, and the federal agents listened in as the talking began.

There were a few chuckles when they witnessed Kurt, Andrew, Todd, and Xi singing songs from the parody, "Robin Hood: Men in Tights"…and the violent attempts of the girls nearby who wanted to shut them up. Some even outright laughed.

There were some gasps and murmurs of disbelief as they closely listened to Piper, Phoebe, and Paige explain about the legacy of the Charmed Ones and their statement of purpose to protect all innocents, both magical and human, from evil entities and black magic that blight the world.

There was nothing but a stunned and respectful silence, morbid, as the lawful enforcers and government agents overheard General Hawk narrate to the Halliwells and the strange group of girls that refer to themselves as the Slayers about the incidents for the past months. They learned of the Phoenix Force bonding with Supergirl and Batgirl, they learned of the massacre of H.I.V.E. Academy, and finally, they witnessed the scenes of the final battle against Trigon with Leomon's help along with the Titans during the Armageddon, all shown via Trinity's _Telepathic Projector 5000_.

There were also some looks of horror and amusement at the scene of when it was revealed that Phoebe Halliwell was suspected of murdering the parents of one of the former X-Men named Jubilee, and the big blowout that resulted afterwards between the Halliwell sisters and the mutants, Joes and other guests. And the spell voiced by Piper Halliwell to banish everyone from the room was the icing on the cake, a concrete moment of proof that the women really were witches and that they knew powerful magic.

Needless to say, it was a complete flurry of murmuring and disbelief as everyone took in what they had heard and seen.

"What are your orders, Keyes?" asked one of the federal officers amid the chaotic, furious and hushed discussion all around them. Sheridan just stared blankly at the screen, the images of what she had seen and heard cycling over her frozen brain, erupting new euphoric feelings of vindication, self-righteousness, and pride. Finally! She would no longer be looked down upon as the unprofessional, obsessed inspector, teased and laughed behind her back about her stubborn resolve to prove her ever-so fallible paranoia about the Halliwell sisters. She would no longer be made a fool of, and she would be able to prove her honor and dedication to the force and to her superiors. Yet it then came to a sudden and screeching halt when she heard Keyes' next words.

"Take them out."

"WHAT?" Inspector Sheridan exclaimed, snapping out of her fervor, "Keyes, you can't be serious! We have no evidence that they did anything wrong! All right, so they converged altogether with mutants and some odd girls called Slayers and Phoebe is suspected of murder, but we don't have a damn thing that shows they did anything against the law! _Not a damn thing! _We can't bring them in or kill them because we don't have state's evidence to convict them! They don't even have a parking ticket, for crying out loud! Trust me, I've checked for anything I could bring against them, but there's nothing!"

"Oh get real, Sheridan!" muttered one officer, "Who cares if they haven't done anything wrong? They're freaks! **Magical** freaks at that!"

"Yeah, the law only applies to humans, not witches, Inspector!" snapped another detective named Anna, her blond bangs bouncing off her forehead angrily, "Don't tell me after all this time bitching about those Halliwells, you're starting to become a witch-lover!"

Sheridan was still adamant as she heatedly growled, unyielding, "I'm saying that we'd be no better than the very criminals we apprehend and prosecute if we try to ignore the law and go against the rules! I want to book them as much as you do, and now we do have proof of their activities and that they're not normal! But unless we can show that they've done something against the law such as committing murder or stealing, we _can't_ do something! If the public ever got wind of how we did this, they'll be in sympathy of the Halliwells, and that's adding the additional trouble since Batman, the Joes, and those mutants are apparently on their case as well. The Halliwells apparently have powerful allies! But proving that they have magical powers won't hold up jack in court! I say we wait until they screw up so that we can legally bust them! There's a right way to do this and a wrong way! **And I want this done the right way!**"

Keyes eyes were cold as he gruffly barked, "Keep in mind, Inspector, that you brought this upon them yourself, and it's too late for you to do anything about it now. This is a federal case now, and as such, you have no jurisdiction nor do my men have any need to obey the law in this case, especially since we can easily circumvent it. And let me remind you, Inspector, that you said you didn't care what we did with the sisters as long as we allowed you to be the one to expose them."

Sheridan was now furious as she placed her hands on her hips and growled, "I did this so that I could prove that the Halliwells were dangerous! That was one thing! But making a mockery of the law to unfairly persecute them is another! You can't just storm in there and start shooting without a warrant, without following the rules!"

"Watch me," Keyes emphasized, no remorse or regret in his blue eyes and grizzled features.

"I agree with Keyes here, Sheridan!" protested another officer of the San Francisco police force, "If those witches are a potential danger, then we can act now and worry about the consequences later! Anything to prevent them from using their powers and magic and witchcraft on innocent, normal folk is fine by me!"

Sheridan was shocked at the large number of people in the room nodding in agreement, and very few were openly seeing the unfairness and biased injustice of this. She thought to herself, _My God, is this what it has come to?_

Suddenly, as if by a cruel twist of fate, things got even more complicated…

"Agent Keyes," spoke one of the federal agents, "You have a call!"

"Take a message! Damn it, Roark, can't you see I'm busy here?" the government agent from Homeland Security snapped, but Roark was urgently persistent.

"Keyes, it can't wait! **It's a call from Lex Luthor!** And he says he has some footage of interest that can help our investigation against the Charmed Ones!"

It was surprising at how quickly it became dead silent it became at the station at the instant those words left Agent Roark's lips. People were either shocked at the fact that Lex Luthor, one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, men in the world, was contacting them…and about the subjects of their investigation, no less.

"What?" gasped Inspector Sheridan.

"He says he has some footage that could be of some great interest for you, from the local news station KTSF," the agent explained. Keyes and Sheridan just stared at the man, interested and morbidly curious.

Though it would be much, much later in retrospect, Inspector Sheridan could have honestly pinpointed that moment as the precise time when the floodgates to Hell had opened.

**Author's Notes: Next Friday is the usual "calm-before-the-storm" chapter, in which we see the hilarious and fun times for our usual bunch of teenage heroes as the Scoobies, the Slayers, the X-Men, and the Misfits enjoy each other's company despite the explosions, fights, parties, and Slayers encountering the Danger Room for the first time (I'm going to have fun with this one!)! Check back for the next chapter, "Nothing Says Bonding Like A Good Danger Room Session" where our three groups mingle and bond!**

**Joes and X-Adults: AGAIN? After all the chaos and messes we had to endure last time with the Teen Titans? Are you trying to torture us?**

**I plead the fifth…**

**Giles and Wood (sarcastic): Oh yes, this looks promising!**

**Until next Friday, read, enjoy, and review!**

**Wood: If you readers quit encouraging this maniac with reviews, we wouldn't be put us in these situations, you know!**

**Quiet you! See you next Friday, everyone!**


	8. Nothing Says Bonding Like A Good Danger

**CHAPTER 8: Nothing Says Bonding Like A Good Danger Room Session**

Despite the gravity of the situation, for the next several days, none of the adults from all three teams could later look back and object and say that the idea of inter-team training wasn't a wonderful idea. On the contrary, it couldn't have been a better solution to introduce the mutants, humans, and Slayers to each other as some extended, ritual-bonding, slumber party.

Except only more chaotic and add an explosion or two along with property damage and several rounds of hysterical screaming.

Immediately afterwards when the X-Men, the Misfits, and G.I. Joe finished their meeting, they waited patiently until dawn before Giles, Xander, and the team that was assigned to investigate in San Francisco gathered all the Slayers staying at the boarding school and assembled them as a single congregation to be addressed and briefed at once about the upcoming Heartless threat and the possible battle with the Hellfire Club over the Nexus of the Charmed Ones. At first, Giles did not wish to inform most of the newly instated and novice Slayers, many of which never even fought at the Battle of the Hellmouth in Sunnydale, and were only awakened via the Scythe without much guidance and preparation. However, Faith and Wood and Willow disagreed, clearly pointing out that they have fought the Heartless and experienced the threat first-hand, and they realized the potential threat it could mean to the Slayers of the world. And they also reminded Giles of the times they had brushed against the Hellfire Club due to its ties with Wolfram and Hart. If the Inner Circle knew about the Slayers and how they could be a potential stumbling block, they wouldn't hesitate to send the Heartless and the Thirteenth Order upon the girls (at this, Hawk and Xavier were stunned at the fact that the Slayers and Scoobies were aware of the Hellfire Club).

In the end, Giles relented, though he made it adamantly clear to the Professor and the General that in no way did he wish to endanger the girls who had been willing to forsake their homes and families in order to learn to deal with the future dangers and responsibilities that came with the mantle of the Slayer. In short, _if_ there was to be a battle in San Francisco, the Watcher and his staff would only send those who were experienced enough to fight and hold well on their own while the rest of the girls must remain hidden and safe from the war until it was no longer a choice. And if the Gathering of Twilight was to be as horrific and bloody as Leomon had hinted, then perhaps, it would _certainly_ no longer be a choice and everyone would _have_ to be involved to prevent the end of the world or die waiting on the sidelines. Thus, the adults all reached the decision that all the Slayers could go through the necessary training using the resources of the X-Men and the Misfits and G.I. Joe, and the capable Slayers and allies would do whatever it would take to help fight and prevent the Gathering.

To General Hawk and Professor X, this was a godsend.

Needless to say, it took a while for all the girls from different and numerous countries to be updated and filled in about the Hellfire Club, the Thirteenth Order, the Charmed Ones, the Nexus, and the Heartless, using Trinity's Telepathic Projector 5000, Willow's magic, and the Professor's telepathy to understand and respond to the lengthy foreign dialects (not to mention Giles' ability to speak in over sixteen different languages). Once they got the message, there was a general understanding but still some dissension. Most of the Slayers were a bit apprehensive about working with mutants, and some were just outright hostile. Yet Giles and the Scoobies patiently explained that they themselves really had no right to choose their allies since a Slayer was just as much as an abnormal outcast and recluse as any mutant. And it was either this or allow the Heartless to conquer the world, unable to protect it (and Willow and Faith had to remind them all that they could barely kill one of the creatures of darkness).

Thankfully, it had been enough to take out the real sting of anything truly upsetting and discordant.

Thus, that was why the very next day, all the Slayers, the teenage X-Men, and the Misfits were training over at the Pit, complete with the mile-runs with the weights, push-up and sit-up drills and precarious military obstacle courses.

"C'mon, hustle everyone! Move, move it, move it!" yelled Low Light as the teens and adolescents just finished their mile run, panting heavily. Faith, Giles, and Wood watched on along with the other X-Adults and Misfit handlers, emotionless but generally approving of the training so far. Amazingly, most if not all of the girls were still fresh and hardly tired from the mile-dash thanks to their Slayer strength. And some such as Althea, Rina, Todd, Pietro, Piotr and Xi still appeared as if they were ready to run a second mile if they truly desired to. Some, such as Ray, Roberto, Tabitha, and Xander were lying weakly on the grass, red-faced and panting and wheezing like they were on the brink of death. And considering that most of the X-Men weren't very familiar to the rigorous exercises of G.I. Joe training, they probably were. And Xander, though he had improved his fighting techniques thanks to Giles and Wood's training, was no athlete (on the contrary, he was getting a bit chubby). And some, like Jamie, Justin, Forge and Andrew were still on their last lap, trailing far behind.

Still, even Giles could admit that the G.I. Joe training was already looking promising. His instincts were barely nagging at him and saying such regimens were huge wastes of time and it was far more organized and laborious than the training over at Sunnydale when the Potentials trained with Buffy.

"Wow, that run was definitely intense!" marveled Rona at Spirit as the Native-American tracker helped her strip off the weights latched around her wrists and ankles, "Granted, it's nothing like us Slayers can't handle, but this isn't some typical and corny exercise from high school P.E. class!"

"Of course not," Spirit murmured as he handed the African-American girl a bottle of cold water, "This is military training, so it is completely different. You use this training for your very survival, and since we usually fight with Cobra and mutant terrorists such as the Hellions and Magneto and the Acolytes, we do this so that we can be sure that the Misfits and Joes and X-Men can protect themselves should they ever need to. You can't imagine how relieved and proud we were when they fought against Trigon and prevailed."

"Still, we can handle it. It's good and we can see the benefits of going through this, but we can definitely handle it, Spirit," Caridad said, breathing heavily as she gulped down her water. Chao-Ahn was trying her best to stand up, but her legs were so wobbly from sprinting with the additional forty-pounds loaded onto her body that it was hard to maintain her balance and the Chinese girl nearly stumbled and fell. Luckily, Fred reached out and caught her.

"You OK, Chao-Ahn?" Fred asked in Cantonese, concerned and the vampire slayer nodded, but then Blob looked up to see a twitching Lina who was staring at the two of them with a restrained look of disturbing anger on her face. Chao-Ahn also noticed this.

"Um…is she all right, Fred?" Chao-Ahn asked hesitantly, noticing the hurt on Dragonfly's face. Fred ignored his friend as he helped the foreign girl stand before he turned to the insect-like mutant and spoke calmly, but nervous all the same.

"Nothing is going on Lina. She just needs help because I'm the only one who can communicate with her," Fred said gently, but with a huff, Lina just whirled around and stomped off. Chao-Ahn then guessed what was the cause of the dissension and awkwardness.

"Is she your girlfriend, Fred?" Chao-Ahn asked. Fred hesitated a bit before he told the truth, blushing.

"No…but, it's complicated because I want her to be and yet…I have no idea if she feels the same way about me or if she and I will even be able to work it out in the future, you know? We've never told each other how we've felt. I guess we're both a little scared and that we don't want to rush it. It's sort of like…well, like you're afraid to play a high-stakes mahjong game. If you play a good hand, you win everything you ever dreamed, but if you play a bad hand, you just lost a lot. And the thing is that I guess I'm a little insecure that she would even want to be my girlfriend because I'm so fat and ugly and hideous. And to tell you the truth, if she ever decides to hook up with Iceman from the X-Men…I really couldn't blame her."

Chao-Ahn decided to not sugarcoat it (since it would have been an obvious lie if she said to Blob that he wasn't fat), and she patted Fred's arm before responding back in Chinese, "That may be, but you're also very sweet and protective when you want to be. People don't love you just because of your outside appearances. But eventually, you need to tell her or else she'll get tired and really will go to Iceman."

Blob wasn't sure how to feel about that one.

Later that day, after a good hour in the weight room and various yoga and calisthenics taught by Cover Girl, Logan and Blind Master decided to see personally how adept each and every one of the Slayers were at hand to hand combat…

"Oof!" grunted Kennedy as she landed on her stomach after Wolverine threw her hard. Both he and the teenage brunette were in the center of a padded, blue, sparring mat, wearing white, loose-fitting _gi_ (karate uniforms) along with the rest of the Slayers, X-Men, and Misfits. And so far, the entire crowd of over three-thousand were watching in awe and wonder as the grizzled X-Man personally went through each and every Slayer Giles and Wood sent from the London boarding school in a one-on-one sparring session. Logan had to admit that these girls weren't weak and were very capable for their age, but still, only a select few such as Kennedy, Vi, and Rona were able to land in several punches via surprise maneuvers. Most of the others couldn't even get close or surprise Logan, who practically knew every trick in the book. Still, Giles and Wood could tell that the X-Man was attempting to do this for the girls' benefits. The sessions worked in two separate duels. In the first duel, Logan would allow the female Slayer to charge him and use whatever tricks she could think of to knock him off his feet within thirty seconds. If she could not succeed in this task, then Logan would easily subdue the Slayer and trip her hard. Then Blind Master and Wolverine, with Giles, Xavier, and Fred helping to translate, would tell the Slayer exactly what she needed to look out for, what she was doing wrong, and how she could improve or take an advantage. Then, after making the female opponent repeat back what she needed to remember, Logan and the selected Slayer would fight again. And Logan and Gabriel were pleased to see that the girls were eager to learn and willing to do whatever it took to improve, their minds and souls eager for the instruction and guidance. And Giles and Wood noticed it as well, pleased.

"I hafta admit, Kennedy, you almost had me there with that feint hitch-kick," Wolverine grunted with some encouragement as he helped the teenage girl back up, "And I'm glad ta' see you remembered to keep an arm free to blow anything that came for your exposed left side when you lunged. Had I been using a sword, you would have died instantly. Just remember to keep guarding your left side. No hard feelings about beating you, darlin'?"

"Are you kidding?" exclaimed Kennedy with the purest fires of determination and fortitude, "If anything, I'm gonna treasure this fight for a while! It's the most exciting duel I've had yet! And you better watch out, Wolverine, cause the next time we spar, I'll beat you yet! Just you wait!"

Wolverine nodded before he called out, "Who's next?"

"That'll be me," spoke a voice, and everyone was shocked when Faith stepped into the ring in her civilian clothes.

"I'm up for a round, if you can keep up with me, _old man_," Faith continued as she grinned, hitching up the waistline of her jeans before she stepped up to the mat, cracking her knuckles and strutting in a care-free manner. Logan raised an eyebrow, interested but still a bit wary and condescending. Regardless of Faith being one of the two original Slayers, he didn't feel threatened. Not even Althea and Rina had been able to defeat him in a martial arts spar.

"Hate to take anyone like you seriously, Brown-Britches," Logan scoffed, "Shouldn't you try getting out of those jeans and boots and try fighting in something more appropriate like one of the training uniforms like the kids?"

"Never was one for rules. Now, quit talking and come get me…_Badger_."

Logan twitched, inwardly getting riled up and shooting a death glare at Jake, Rina and Tabitha, all three of whom tried their best to look innocent (but failing miserably). Roadblock turned to Wood.

"I'm beginning to see why you love that Faith so much, Wood," Marvin chuckled.

"She's one in a million," Wood said with a big smile.

"Ready…**_Hajimeru_**!" yelled Blind Master as he brought his hand down, saying in Japanese the command to begin. And with baited breath, the crowd of the adults and teenagers just watched as Faith and Logan charged towards each other. Faith struck first with a straight jab, and Logan easily caught her fist before grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards him so that he could let loose a powerful punch to her gut, but Faith then easily blocked it with her other hand, catching Logan's wrist. The X-Man then let loose an intense kick at her legs, hoping to bring the Slayer to her knees, but well aware of that tactic, Faith let go of Logan's wrist before somersaulting sideways into the air, wrenching her hand free from Wolverine's grip of steel and catching her foot in a flying kick across Logan's face in the process. Still, Wolverine took the kick before he swiveled around let loose a kick at Faith's back as her body passed by him. Faith took the hit with a grunt but expertly landed onto her feet and cartwheeled soundlessly backward, gaining some space between her and her opponent. It was then that Logan felt some blood drop out of the corner of his mouth. Damn, the Slayer could hit hard…and she drew first blood.

"Nice trick," Wolverine marveled despite himself. Faith shrugged.

"I always use my best shots in battle, Wolvie," she said.

"Good…cause here's **mine**," and Wolverine roared as he charged before letting loose a riposte followed by a slashing-outward punch, leaping high in the air towards Faith's head. Faith strafed instantly, letting Logan rush by her and aimed a roundhouse kick at Logan's spine, but Logan then did a quite unexpected move as he suddenly placed his hands behind his back and caught Faith's leg deftly before it could connect with the lumbar region of his backbone, and as Wolverine landed forward, his hold on Faith's leg jerked her forward as well, catching her off-balance as she awkwardly pitched her leg forward, doing the splits excruciatingly and unintentionally. Upon the moment of surprise, Logan let go of Faith's leg before he aimed a kick at Faith's head. Like a gymnast, Faith saw the move coming and flattened herself against the floor, allowing Wolverine's foot to swish by her head before she did a sweep kick at the X-Man's feet. The elderly mutant leapt up, dodging the blow before he blocked Faith's cross-punch as the Slayer got back on her feet. Then catching Faith's other arm when she tried to deliver an uppercut, Wolverine pulled her arms and crisscrossed them over one another and pressed down hard, applying pressure and forcing the Slayer to stop at a standstill at the risk of breaking her arms. Still, Logan was surprised to see that despite restraining her arms from punching him, she was far from accepting defeat, her flushed face still as smug and cocky and composed as ever.

"Hmph, you're good, Brown-Britches," growled Wolverine, beginning to like the way his nickname for Faith was already fitting the Slayer's personality.

"You should see me when I'm actually trying, old man!" Faith shot back with her typical humor as she broke the hold on her arms by ramming her head into Logan's solidly, and without even taking a precious instant to recover from the stars flashing across her eyes, Faith let loose a furious left-hook-swivel-kick combination at Logan's head. Logan took the hit but then he delivered a roundhouse kick at Faith's chest followed by a right hook, left elbow, left backhand, and right hook combination, twisting his body in a dance-like pirouette.

"Ouch, that looked like it hurt," Xander marveled as he and the rest of the crowd just continued to watch with baited breath, hardly daring to make a noise as Faith just took the punches without the slightest indication of pain as she continued to just get back up and assaulting him.

"Don't know when to quit, do ya', Slayer?"

"Funny you should mention it, _Badger_," smirked Faith, "You punch like a girl, and I don't mean a Slayer one either."

And as Logan then tried to deliver a satisfying cross-punch at Faith's head, Faith then arched back and leaned a bit, gathering her Slayer strength and speed and before Logan could even blink, the brown-haired Slayer twisted her body forward before achieving a devastating kung-fu move called the Wing Chun punch. And when a Slayer summoned all of her strength from her powers, she could deliver a blow that even an invulnerable mutant such as Rogue could feel the effects excruciatingly. And Logan was the unlucky target. With a howl, Logan felt the punch connect with his abdominals before the force of the punch sent Wolverine flying out of the ring and landing hard on his back onto the grass. Faith panted, her body sweaty, but she managed to shakily stand back up and declared proudly, "I win."

"Oh my God…" Althea gasped.

"Well blow me down!" Shipwreck marveled as Logan shakily propped himself from his sprawled position with an elbow, feeling his healing factor kicking in from the three broken ribs Faith managed to cause from that finishing move. Still, not willing to look like a sore loser, Wolverine grunted and nodded, accepting the defeat gracefully.

"She…won?" gaped Pietro, his jaw dropping.

"She won! **She won!** She beat Badger! Way to go, Faith! You go, girl!" cheered Tabitha, jumping up and down with excitement.

"_Merde!_" Remy gasped in French, his eyes so wide that you could see the sea of blackness all around his red irises. Bobby then grinned to Scott, Jake and Todd wickedly, showing the video-camcorder in his hands and indicating that he recorded every minute of the fight.

"You do realize we're not going to let Wolverine hear the end of this, right?" Iceman cackled.

"I can have Trinity make copies and distribute them across the Pit, the Slayer academy, and the Justice League within half an hour, yo! Think five bucks is a fair price for each copy of the footage?" Todd grinned, showing his teeth and with a glint in his eyes.

Razor's whiskers twitched in his insane grin as he handed Toad a ten-dollar bill, whispering, "Here's enough for two copies, and be sure to include the shots of the close-ups you got of ol' Logan's face when Faith threw him!"

"I'll get you yet, hairball," muttered Logan as he shot Razor the evil eye while Rina and Althea helped the elder X-Man back up. Needless to say, that day was the most euphoric considering that Faith had now gained much admiration from her fellow potential and novice Slayers as well as some of the members of the X-Men and the Misfits. Ray, Jamie, Pietro, and Forge instantly declared themselves to be Faith fan-boys for life, and even Jean, Rina, Kitty, and Althea asked the main Slayer for advice on martial techniques.

The next day in the afternoon, things were actually starting to settle down and feel comfortable, easing into the routine. And though the X-Men dreaded the training with the Joes, the Professor explained that after one more day, the Slayers and Scoobies would train over at the Danger Room with the X-Men. And that, along with the growing friendships they were developing with the Slayers, even with the ones such as Rona who were clearly anti-mutant. Ray entered the recreation room at the Misfit Manor where most of the X-Men were relaxing after a hard morning of obstacle course races and hiking with fifty-pound backpacks.

"Did you guys know that Pietro knows how to say 'Will you go out with me?' in over twenty different languages?" Ray asked no one in particular.

Jean smiled as she looked outside at the commotion on the Pit's training grounds, "And something tells me right now he's learning the universal form of the word, '_no_'."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" screamed a very terrified and very fearful Quicksilver in a falsetto voice as he dashed by with a huge, angry throng of red-faced Slayer girls chasing him with various weapons such as swords, knives, and clubs, each and every one of them screaming various profanities and curses in a multitude of different languages. And leading the pack was a _very_ vengeful and murderous Dana, scowling so deeply with her teeth bared, one had to wonder if her face didn't freeze like that.

Apparently, Pietro didn't know when to quit. And he also didn't stop to think how unwise it was to annoy girls who had an instinctive skill to kill and expertly use weapons.

"**Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!**" Dana screamed, brandishing a hacksaw, as the Misfit speedster did his best to dash away with his mutation, but damn if the Slayers could sprint just as amazingly quick due to _their_ powers. Meanwhile, a hysterical and frantic Andrew Wells was chasing Dana and her group as they hunted down the white-haired Misfit.

"Dana!" Andrew yelled, "Don't you remember the last time? You can't hack off a person's hands anymore! It's not a good thing! _Remember?_ We went through this with Giles and Wood in therapy!"

"**_He goosed me!_** He had it coming! And I can be excused for a minor relapse, twit-head!" Dana snapped as she continued running after the albino mutant along with the murderous horde of girls.

"Does anyone else feel like getting up and saving Quickie from a gruesome and possibly excruciating death?" Tabitha asked lazily as she watched on.

"No," came the unanimous, apathetic reply from the X-Men surrounding the blond X-Girl, almost instantly. Boom-Boom shrugged, nodding.

"Just checkin'," the teenager clarified as several of the Slayers let loose their shafts from their crossbows at their target for payback.

"**_Ow, my butt! You got me in the butt!_**" screamed Pietro loudly enough for even the dead to hear him.

Meanwhile, Spirit, Cover Girl, Storm, and Wolverine were approaching a meeting between the other X-Men adults, the Misfit handlers, General Hawk, Wood, and Giles as the four gave their report during their investigation over in Los Angeles.

"We just came back from Los Angeles, investigating Jubilation's home…or at least what remained of it," Spirit finished grimly.

"Any news to share? We need to know what went on there, and if Phoebe Halliwell isn't behind the murders of Jubilee's parents, then we need how and why the Hellfire Club made it seem her involvement was apparent," Roadblock rhymed unconsciously.

Cover Girl sighed as she said, "The entire house had been reduced to ashes, and though we were allowed leniency to explore and investigate the crime scene along with the LAPD because we're from G.I. Joe, a lot of the cops did not like the fact that we were invading their territory. And keep in mind, it's been more than two weeks when the murders happened and the rubble had just been cleared away, so any traces of the fight are probably in custody of the police department in Los Angeles. We could try obtaining a court order to examine them, but something tells me that they wouldn't be able to do much since this was a magical attack and not some low-down punk who used a gun or a firearm."

"Any scents then?" Wood asked.

"Several, but they were all cold and overridden by the presence of so many cops and officers investigating the arson and crime scene, and add the fact that the fire covered a lot of it with the smell of ashes and smoke. But I _could_ still faintly detect them all, the Firecracker's and her parents. I remember the scent of Mr. And Mrs. Lee when they came to the Institute to pick up their daughter and take her away from the X-Men after the Sentinel exposed the existence of mutants. There was an odor of something dead and not unlike any other living creature that I've ever smelled before, something that was **really** disgusting and like rotting flesh. God, it was like bacon gone bad," Logan muttered.

"That must have been the Turok-Han," Giles provided and Wolverine nodded.

"But I can say one thing: I can't smell Phoebe Halliwell's scent anywhere. Not even the smallest whiff of it, and I tried. Believe me, bubs, _I tried_. I wanted to nail her as much as the others. But I must have gone over that entire lot twice and kept searching for that dumb brunette's scent until my damn nose practically bled. And nothing. Her scent isn't there. So if I can't find her scent -"

"Then she wasn't at the crime scene in the first place," finished Ororo, "And that the Charmed Wiccan was telling the truth, that she didn't murder Jubilee's parents."

"So Phoebe **is** being framed by the Hellfire Club and this Zankou character," Hank murmured in growing realization and shock at the vindication of the Charmed witch. Blind Master was still frowning as he muttered a sentiment that had been in the back of Logan and Professor X's minds.

"Keep in mind, Beast, it is only a hypothesis that Phoebe is being framed. Just because Wolverine couldn't detect her scent at the crime scene does not mean she couldn't have had an indirect involvement as hiring an accomplice to send the Turok-Han to murder Jubilee, and need I remind you that anything is possible with their magic. In other words, this could be the classic dilemma of appearing to be framed and protesting your innocence while at the same time, being actually guilty and manipulating the evidence to point to the likelihood that you're being set up of a crime you actually have committed. This could be a clever misleading ploy."

"Drop it, Gabe," growled Shipwreck uncharacteristically, "You know that it's becoming more and more obvious that the Hellfire Club and the Organization would probably try a dirty trick like this, and if the Halliwells have this powerful Nexus, then I say they're innocent. And you know it just as well, so cut the bullshit and stop harping on them."

"I'm just trying to take in every possibility, especially concerning that spiteful, little shrew called Piper! So **you** quit harping on **me**, Shipwreck! Out of all of us, you're usually the one with the dumbest idea and theories, so quit trying to act smart!" Blind Master thundered, his baritone voice so animalistic it could have rivaled Leomon's grunts and roars. It was then suddenly clear why the African ninja-master was so biased towards the Charmed Ones.

Spirit laid a strong hand on the fuming Blind Master's shoulder as he said sternly, "Gabriel, stop this. You can't let your emotions cloud over your judgment, especially not with anything concerning the Gathering of Twilight or the Heartless."

The ninja whirled on Spirit angrily as he growled, his voice acidic, "You're one to talk! You let Trinity have the itching and dissolving powder to attack Iceman after he exposed Lance's abusive past to the other X-Men!"

Spirit looked like he was starting to become angry as he heatedly clarified, "Establishing payback is one thing, turning away from the truth is another! And despite my feelings for Bobby Drake at the time, I wouldn't have heartlessly turned my back on him if his life was in danger! I would be willing to help him!"

"Easier to say it than actually do it, Spirit!" shot back Blind Master, and Hawk instantly barked out an order.

"Spirit, Blind Master, stand down, both of you! Or the two of you get sent to KP duty, and Lance and Justin can join you in your punishments!" General Hawk shouted. That was enough to shut the two Joe soldiers up. Wood looked at Roadblock and Shipwreck.

"Well, now what do we do? We've hit another brick wall."

Giles then added, "And perhaps we should try tracking down Ms. Jubilee to ensure that she would not endanger herself or the Charmed Ones. And if this Leomon character is still residing in the shadows of San Francisco, there may be a possibility that he may pose a threat to your former student as well. Is there any way you can detect her, Professor X?"

Xavier shook his head as he explained, "Unfortunately, that would be incredibly difficult. Even if we could find Jubilee, she is too hell-bent on achieving vengeance on the Halliwells for the deaths of her parents to come willingly to us. Despite our evidence that may point to the Charmed Ones being framed, she would most likely not believe our word, and I cannot force her to come with us against our will. I do not approve of kidnapping in any way, even if it would be for her safety and well-being. And since it has been several days since we have last ran into her from the Heartless battle, Wolverine has already informed me that her scent was left cold and faded enough so that he cannot effectively trace her. And I cannot use Cerebro to hone on to her movements unless she is using her mutant powers, but considering that she would most likely wish to hide and remain clandestine in the general public along with not allowing us a chance to intervene and stop her, she would not be as foolhardy as to do such an act. Thus, there is nothing I can do to help her or the Halliwells."

"What about Supergirl? Did those potions Paige gave to Batgirl help her in any way to recover from the strange coma?" Low Light asked, and Hank sighed, shaking his head.

"I am afraid it is a negative on that situation as well. Even with the potions and after our available magic users such as Margali Sefton, Raven from the Teen Titans, and Agatha Harkness have looked and tried to break the enchantment, none of these possibilities have wielded any positive results. Supergirl still resides in the coma, and Batman has reported to me that she is steadily declining in her health, bit by bit, and if we cannot convince the three sisters to use their magic, then it is most likely Supergirl may die. And we have no other magical leads other that Piper, Phoebe, and Paige," Beast murmured solemnly.

It certainly was a foreboding thought, and one that reminded all of them that they were on a very tense and decreasing time frame.

Still, it wasn't completely depressing at the G.I. Joe military base. Later that night, there was quite a joyous commotion in the Joe's kitchen galley. The Joes B.A. and Roadblock along with Fred were cooking up a storm, enough food to feed a regiment, much to the infinite delights of all the training army of Slayers who devoured every morsel of food like bottomless pits. When Xavier, Giles, and some of the Joes had been able to translate that the Joe kitchens had more than enough food to feed all of them and that Roadblock was a gourmet chef (and Blob was his apprentice), many of the girls were ecstatic. The only ones capable of cooking were Giles, Xander and Andrew, but even they couldn't cook home-cooked meals to satisfy every distinct palette and cultural preference. Thus, more often than not, each and every one of the Slayers at the London Academy had to eat bland and dull food fit for any boarding school, and many of the girls from other countries such as the Mediterranean, Zimbabwe, Nepal, and Saudi Arabia weren't readily pleased to be eating English cuisines such as kidney pudding, sausages, and beans. If it was hard to leave your family and home because you needed to train for the duty and responsibility of a Slayer, it was nowhere as uncomfortable as eating food you were not readily used to. Yet it was completely different once Fred, B.A., and Roadblock got cracking…

"Cabbage rolls, fish colbasa and babka puff, hot from the oven!" yelled Blob, smiling as two Russian Slayers eagerly took the tasty dish from the mutant's hands with grateful appreciation, eager to dig into their favorite meal that they've missed having since leaving their town, Ivanovo last year for their Slayer calling. One winked and blew the obese mutant a kiss which caused the Blob to blush slightly, flattered at all the attention and friendly looks he was getting from many of the vampire slayers. As he was giving a Moroccan girl a dish of Carthagenian flank steak and black-bean hummus, a brown-haired girl from Ireland named Ciara eagerly went up to the Misfit.

"Got any more of that Irish stew, Blob?" she grinned suggestively in her thick accent.

"Again? That's your third helping, Ciara," the mutant teenager said with jest as he ladled another big, piping serving. Ciara rolled her eyes good-naturedly before she took her bowl.

"Hey, when there's good food around, I'll take advantage of it when I can, thank you very much. There's only so much sandwiches and packaged Ding-Dongs and Twinkies a girl can take back at the Slayer school, don't you know? And to be frank, Giles, Andrew, and Xander aren't the best cooks in the world."

Meanwhile, the small and round chef named B.A. was delivering his umpteenth dish to the many tables in the mess hall, jammed pack with girls of different ethnicities and religions, the room warm with chatter and contentment of good food, his serving tray piled high with plates and dishes.

"Spinach soba and tofu in broth and pickled seaweed! Here ya' go, girls!" B.A. chuckled as he set a dish in front of three Japanese Slayers named Naoko, Hikaru, and Kimiko who were seated at a table, their eyes shining and soft with delightful appetite as they murmured "_arigato_" and began feasting. It was not much of a wonder that B.A. was especially sought out by many of the Asian Slayers to cook their meals considering that seaweed recipes were the portly dwarf's specialty. And B.A. was also hit on the inspiration to set up some heating plates and pots of broth placed at many of the tables in the cafeteria at different intervals to be used to feed them shabu-shabu, oden, and Chinese, Thai and Korean hot-pots. These instantly became a huge hit; even girls who were unfamiliar of such dishes like Rona, Vi, and Shannon learned to enjoy the food immensely. Yet it was Roadblock who took it upon himself to handle most of the requests and cooking duties; he felt these girls didn't truly live until they tasted _his_ cooking.

"Who ordered the bratwurst?" yelled Roadblock encouragingly as he handed a pile of the succulent meat-sausages (homemade and seasoned by the Joe machine-gunner himself) to an eager Slayer from Germany, nodding excitedly.

"Babakanoosh and falafel?" the Joe called out before an shy Arabic vegetarian tentatively raised her hand before she gingerly accepted the hot plate of steaming food, her stomach growling.

"Couscous and tablich?" called Marvin as he ladled a vast serving of the beans and cooked zucchini skillfully and expertly into four trays before handing them out to four dark-skinned girls from Egypt. Then Roadblock grinned to his long-time friend, Wood, who was sitting on the kitchen counter nearby before handing the Watcher a plate of waffles and fried chicken.

Wood smiled, already feeling at home; it was one of his favorite dishes as a kid.

"Can't believe you remembered after all these years, Marvin," Wood chuckled as he bit into a chicken leg.

Roadblock was just as nostalgic as he handed another Slayer a serving of fried chicken, saying, "Hey, you haven't lived until you've had my cooking, and judging from what the other Slayers tell me, you can't live off just canned food and take-out all the time. But honestly, after this whole mess with the Nexus is all done and over with, I'd be happy if you could come to the Pit for a visit."

Wood exhaled, recollecting that his duties as a Watcher would never really give him much free time, especially with so many new Slayers needing to be trained properly. Still, he gave his friend a tired and hopeful beam, replying, "Maybe, Marvin. Maybe, when this madness is all done and over with."

Meanwhile, some of the X-Boys and Pietro were just watching this scene with horrified disbelief.

"I don't believe it," Roberto murmured, giving himself a pinch to ensure he wasn't dreaming as several of the Slayers gave Blob some giggling and flirty looks, "I don't believe it. Here we are, in a military base that is now ninety-percent teenage females, and the only one male they actually like is Fred. Fred. The fat one, the unattractive outcast of high school, the one Misfit whose picture of him being shirtless on 'X-Men TV' caused some people to sue us for sudden cases of hysterical blindness and needing the months of therapy. I just don't believe it! All the girls absolutely love Fred!"

"I guess what they say is true," Ray murmured, "The way to a woman's heart is through her stomach."

"Not all of them," Bobby pointed out as Remy was flirting with two Slayers from France, causing them to giggle and shyly allow the Cajun mutant to kiss their hands and whisper flattering praise in his native tongue, "Remy's pretty happy with the girls being around."

"And Rogue _isn't_," Ray emphasized as Remy heard his girlfriend screech furiously behind him as she stomped over towards the X-Man, ready to tear him limb from limb for being caught in the act.

"**_SWAMP-RAT!_**" Rogue hollered, her pale face now red and her left eye twitching madly.

"Remy just being friendly, _cherie_," Gambit weakly protested.

WHAM!

"Ouch, **that** left a mark," Bobby winced at the scene, glad and grateful he wasn't in Remy's shoes, watching the scene along with Ray and Roberto with some amusement, "Think Lifeline and Dragonfly will be able to extract Gambit's head from the table once Rogue quits beating him with his staff?"

"_Ow, ow, ow!_ _Chere_, - ow! Remy didn't – ow! Remy – ow! Just being friendly, _chere_! **Ow, ow, ow! **_Femmes_ just can't resist – **ow!** _Cherie_, that last one hurt!"

"Good!" snapped Rogue as she continued her assault.

During all this joyous and exuberant occasion of feasting and pigging out, one lone Slayer just sullenly isolated herself from the rest of the merry teammates, and Dana just moodily brooded by herself at a corner table, grimacing to herself as she sipped her cup of hot tea.

"Why aren't you joining your friends, Dana? You're missing out on a great dinner," a voice piped up, and Dana looked upwards to see that the Misfits, Scarlet Witch and Lance along with the Joe, Low Light, sitting down next to the scarred Slayer and attempting to keep the isolated girl company. Dana just growled and gave them all the evil eye intently.

"Just piss off and leave me alone, you little freaks," she muttered. Wanda and Lance raised an eyebrow at the irony of that statement, especially coming from a vampire slayer.

"You know, if you wanted us to leave, you could have asked nicely," Wanda retorted dryly.

"And that would have made you leave me alone?" hissed Dana.

"No, but you could have at least made the attempt and try to act nice, especially since it's not going to do you any good to just retreat inwardly to yourself and keep away from everyone. You're not going to get over your hurt and fear if you don't at least try to bond with us and see that no one here is going to hurt you," Lance murmured, and instantly, at those words, Dana was alarmed, feeling her instinctive defenses spring up as she snarled like a wild animal.

"And how the hell would you three know what I've been though?" Dana snapped, her voice cracking along with her anti-social façade, "You mutants don't know anything about what I had to go through as a kid! You think you mutants have it bad because you were hated and feared by society and had terrorist groups and Sentinel come hunt you down to kill you? **Ha!** As if you nimrods could ever know what it's been like to go through what I've been though! I bet you never been to an insane asylum in your entire lives!"

"Actually…I have," Wanda said, her voice soft and looking down at the table surface, her face dark. That stopped Dana's tirade as she looked at Lance, Wanda, and Cooper, caught off guard. She did not expect that answer, and the confirmation made her light-headed. The scarred Slayer looked into Wanda's face to see if she was lying, but that one look of repressed and painful memory latched with hate, anger, and sorrow was genuine…and a look Dana herself had seen in the mirror so many times back at the Slayer Academy.

"What?" Dana whispered, not sure if she was going to believe it. The goth with black and red hair looked up, her eyes deadly serious and as cold as steel.

"My father sent me to a mental institution when I was five," Wanda said, "**_My own father._** And I was his only daughter. He sent me to be committed against my will because my mutant powers to cause things to go haywire due to chaos energy were too uncontrollable, too wild for my father to be willing to endure. So he just sent me to a psychiatric ward and let the doctors take me away, crying and screaming for my father as he just stood there and watched me get taken where I would grow up to be medicated and living in a padded room in a straight-jacket for a good portion of my adolescent life. You still think I don't know what it's like to grow up in a mental institution?"

Dana then growled with tears in her eyes as she shot back , "Yeah, but I bet you've never been abused, been sexually raped and held prisoner against your will like some unclean and dirty animal!"

Lance then spoke, his voice solemn but strong thanks to his sessions with Psyche-Out and Spirit, "Actually, I have molested too when I was a boy and living under my adoptive parents."

Another stunning, emotional blow. Dana was speechless, shocked at how Lance could so relatively speak about such an act with ease. And yet…he too wasn't lying. She could see it, the haunted look of pain on his face, the scars of shame and regret and trauma.

"Who…who was it? An uncle? A…a grandfather? A burglar who broke in and raped you while you were asleep in your bedroom?" Dana shakily asked, a hot lump of guilt growing into her throat. Lance looked at her directly into her eyes.

"My own adoptive parents," Lance said concretely. The hot lump grew even more as Dana just stared at Avalanche, not sure what to say and feeling a bit sick. As bad as her own plight was, her parents, as much as she could recollect, did love her before they were murdered by her tormentor, Walter Kindel. Lance continued, never faltering in his gaze.

"When I was a kid, I jumped from foster home to foster home, where I had to endure a lot of beatings and physical abuse. But then on the last one, the couple took me to the basement and forced me to drink beer until I passed out. And then eventually, I realized that they got me drunk so that…so that they could both sexually molest me."

There was a pause.

"Even now, I still have nightmare about them touching me, groping me in places I didn't wish, waking up screaming and crying whenever I recollect how grimy and cold the basement was, how much I felt so unclean and that I deserved it, that I deserved to be raped because I was a problem child, that no one really loved me, that I was nothing more than an animal to be used and thrown away. Even a hug from Kitty or the smell of wine brings it back like someone hit me in the back of the skull with a sledgehammer, sudden and unstoppable. So believe me, when I say that I know what it's like to be a victim of rape. And like you, I was held against my will…and molested _repeatedly_."

Dana felt her hands shaking, hearing Lance's testimony bring up her painful past as she placed her hands on her lap. Still, she tried one last time as her face now was completely devoid of the angry look and replaced with only the look of a scared and hesitant child, alone and lost. It was amazing how much Dana's demeanor changed in those precious minutes.

"But…but you're nothing like me. None of you are as horrid and disgusting and abominable like me! I killed people when I escaped the asylum! Don't you get it? I **_killed_** innocent people when I broke out! I'm no better than a murderer, than a serial killer! That's why I don't want to hang out with the other Slayers, because I know they wouldn't want anything to do with a soulless monster like me!"

Low Light then took off his red sniper goggles, looking at Dana directly in the eye before he rumbled sternly with a touch of understanding, "Kid…I killed my own father and mother. What does that say about me?"

Dana blinked. This was just the night for surprises. Low Light then softly and slowly reached out and gently touched Dana's chin, forcing her to look upwards at his clear blue eyes, and though she was being touched, Dana could admit that she didn't feel threatened nor endangered but rather…as if she was being touched by a soulmate, a fellow brother, a person who knew and walked the very path of murderous destruction she had before.

The G.I. Joe sniper then continued, "You heard me correctly, Dana. My father was an abusive bastard who would beat me as soon as I found look at him funny, and there were times he left me in the middle of a dark junkyard at night and wouldn't allow me to come back in the house until I shot twenty rats, saying he didn't want a coward and a wimp for a son and didn't care even if it took days and nights for me to do the job. And I've been afraid of the rats and the dark ever since, Dana. And when my father tried to kill me and my sister, Una, with a shotgun, the police chased after him, and in a car pursuit, he drove too fast and crashed his car, dying in the wreck."

Dana was silently crying, the tears running down her cheeks as she just stared at Low Light, frozen, as the sniper continued, "But it didn't end there. My mother blamed me for the death of my Dad, even though he was as cruel to her as he was to me and my sister. She told me that I should have never been born, and I told her I wish she was never my mother. And when I came back the next day to apologize…I found her body on the bed and that she committed suicide by overdosing on pills. Everything she said to me, I had to live with. And everything I said to her, I can never take back. Both of their deaths were caused by me…and I had to live with that ever since. And to make matters worse, when I joined with G.I. Joe, I was captured by Cobra and experimented on like a lab rat, activating my dormant X-gene and it caused me to turn into a mutant, a freak."

Dana wanted to look away, but she couldn't and she just stared at the sniper. Low Light's eyes softened as he then gently brushed away the Slayer's tears, his hand as warm and gentle as a summer breeze, so reminiscent to Dana of the loving manner her father held and cuddled her when she was a baby.

"Still think I'm a monster, Dana? Do you think Lance is a monster for killing his parents for sexually abusing him? Do you think Wanda is a monster because she went to a mental institution?" Low Light asked softly.

"No…" Dana whispered. Wanda then looked at Dana.

"So what makes it any different from you?" Wanda asked sincerely.

The point hit home.

Dana wiped her face and nose with her sleeve as she just sat there, shaking softly, for several minutes, but none of them spoke a word or moved.

They just waited.

After a few minutes, Dana shakily got up from her seat, turned, and began walking towards the table where Kennedy, Willow, Caridad, and Shannon were eating. Halfway there, Dana turned back to see Lance, Wanda, and Low Light still watching her, neither encouraging nor disapproving, but supportive nonetheless. And to their satisfaction, there was the faintest trace of a smile on Dana's face as her lip slightly curled upwards. Then taking a deep breath, Dana continued walking until she was at the table, causing Caridad, Kennedy, Willow, and Shannon to pause as they looked up at their fellow teammate.

"Can I…can I eat with you guys?" Dana asked, her voice quaking and frightened, afraid that the four would reject her or turn her down. But Caridad smiled as she rose and hugged Dana gently.

"Sure, honey, take my seat," she said sincerely, and as Dana sat down, Kennedy, Shannon, Caridad and Willow instantly piled her plate full of piping-hot, luscious food.

"You have got to try this couscous! They're totally out of this world!" Shannon encouraged.

"And Wood scored us some homemade fried chicken. Heck it's better than the 'Kentucky Fried Brands'," Kennedy said warmly as she placed a wing and a drumstick in front of Dana. Willow just smiled as she poured a glass of lemonade for her friend.

"And this is mint-lemonade Fred made from scratch. I asked him to make some since it's one of the few sweet drinks you'd be willing to take. Would you like a glass? It's really good!" the Wiccan encouraged, and Dana smiled, breaking her shell bit by bit.

"Think she'll be all right?" Wanda asked softly as they watched Dana willfully integrate with her family and friends.

Low Light said noncommittally as he put back on his goggles, "It's a baby step…but it's a step in the right direction, Wanda."

After dinner, Althea was showing the Slayers, Caridad and Vi, a tour of the Misfit Manor along with Ray and Remy, and when the two girls spotted Althea's younger brothers, Claudius and Beak, they went completely nuts.

"They are soooooo cute!" squealed Vi as she picked up Beak.

Caridad's eyes were glowing stars as she tenderly tickled Claudius on his belly, cooing in full mollifying-mode, "Cootchie-cootchie-coo! Cootchie-cootchie-coo! Cootchie-cootchie-coo! Are you just an adorable little guy? Yes you are!"

Vi giggled as she rocked Beak gently back and forth, "I bet you two are hungry. Wanna go share some graham crackers with us? Huh? Would the little cutie-pie like that? I'm sure we can find some treat-treats in the mess hall."

Barney and Claudius absolutely loved the attention, and indeed, their affection for the red-headed and the Filipino Slayers only increased at the mention of treats and goodies. Gurgling happily, the two mutant babies hugged Caridad and Vi, resting their heads against their bosoms and playing the cute-act for all it was worth. Beak even dropped his wiffle bat as he laughed at Vi cuddling him. Remy and Ray were shocked to say the least.

"Goo-goo-ga-ga!" laughed Beak in Vi's arms.

"Swayer…swayer…" drooled Claudie with a finger in his mouth, trying to say the word "slayer" in the cutest baby-speak possible.

"They are just so precious!" squealed Caridad and Vi. Gambit and Bezerker were watching this with a deadpanned expression of shocked and cheated disbelief.

"You know, if Remy didn't know any better, Remy'd say that those two are enjoying this," the Cajun X-Man muttered.

"Lucky goobers," grumbled Ray as he glared at Barney and Claudius being carried off to the Pit's kitchen by Vi and Caridad. Althea just smiled and waved off the two X-Boys' resentments.

"Ah, don't take it personally," the Misfit leader smirked, "And besides, these Slayers are starting to earn some big respect points from me. It's not every day that we run into people who Claudie and Beak completely adore."

---

The next day, it was the X-Men's turn to grace the Slayers and Scoobies with the privilege of the Danger Room. The Joes and the X-Adults along with Giles, Wood, and Faith were watching from the control room to the training grounds from above. The rest of the teenagers were down below, wearing their respective battle uniforms and gear, and even the vampire slayers were wearing black, specialized-polymer, black jumpsuits with gloves and boots.

"I'm never going to get used to this. I don't know how you X-Men can stand running around in these clothes while fighting. Normally, whatever us Slayers are wearing at the time can act as sufficient battle clothes enough," Caridad spoke to Rogue and Jean Grey, both of whom shrugged.

"You get used to it enough, sugah," Rogue replied, "And besides, the stuff we're wearing can be helpful in protecting you against blows and scratches and other typical brawl injuries. Or at least that what Cyclops claims."

"This _does_ feel kind of weird," Rona murmured as she picked at the fabric that uncomfortably clung to her like a second skin, and indeed, it wasn't every day that one got to dress up from head to toe in spandex-like clothes.

"Are you kidding? This is so cool! I feel like I'm actually on the X-Men team as a fellow hero!" Vi exclaimed as she and Andrew admired their costumes. Cyclops grinned as the simulation began.

"Good, because you all are going to see what it feels like to actual be in the X-Men's training for a day," the X-Men field leader stated as the room lit up to display a huge red platform at the other end of the mammoth chamber with the word, "Finish", "X-Men, Slayers…and Misfits, your objective is to cross the room and reach the other end of the platform where the finish line is before time runs out!"

"That's it?" one Slayer piped up incredulously, disdainful, "Heck even Andrew could do that one!"

"Well, word of warning: the room might not let you cross," Cyclops said, grinning smugly, and instantly, the room became alive the instant the teenagers stepped forward.

"Yow, electric boomerangs!" yelped Andrew as he and Multiple ducked to avoid the whirling projectiles. Wavedancer calmly took out several ninja stars from her belt before she let loose on the flying weapons, instantly taking several of them out.

"Well, don't just stand there! Take 'em out, you guys, and move!" the Misfit leader shouted and immediately, everyone acted at once, making sure to watch out for their surroundings and their friends' backs at the same time.

"I got one!" yelled a Slayer as she narrowly deflected one boomerang with her axe.

"Here's another one down!" yelled Xander as he effectively parried his sword against another returning, electrified disc, the metal shattering into two useless halves the instant it cleaved itself against the sharp edge of Xander's blade.

"And we got the rest!" yelled Shannon as she and fifty other Slayers used their crossbows to effectively take out the rest of the boomerangs, each a clean and accurate shot thanks to their sharp archery skills. Unfortunately, this cleared the way for another obstacle…

"You guys! Turok-Han! And they're coming our way!" yelled Dragonfly as she spied upon a horde of them approaching their way, weaponless but still just as deadly with their super-strength and claws, snarling as they charged.

"Then let's show these uber-vamps what we can do!" Tabitha yelled as she let loose a time-bomb, causing it to explode and send several of the vampires flying messily. Or at least what _looked_ like vampires…

"Hey!" exclaimed Kennedy as she used her twin swords to decapitate one Turok-Han, only to show a smoking headless body with electronic machinery and metal, "These aren't vampires at all! They're robots!"

"Well, duh! We like can't actually use real vampires in a Danger Room session, right? I mean, that would be like **way** too dangerous!" Shadowcat yelled back as she phased two Slayers out of danger, allowing them to mace and club their opponents into a useless pile of junk.

"Then let's take them out! Everyone, aim at the heads! The heads of the Turok-Han are the weak-points!" yelled Willow as she invoked her magic to send a fireball directly at several of the robotic vampires, and despite the number of robots and obstacles they had to face, the Slayers along with the mutants managed to beat all of the bionic threats with their powers and weapons. Unfortunately, they failed to reach the finish line before time ran out.

"We **failed**?" blurted a astonished Kennedy, "We failed because we ran out of time? That's not fair! We're just not used to this!"

"Regardless, this Danger Room trial run was extremely effective in showing your inability to adequately strategize your battle times and coagulate everyone as a coordinated and structured team. And frankly, it _is_ disappointing. If we have this much trouble destroying an army of robotic Turok-Han in a training exercise, I can only imagine the disasters that would arise if we come face to face with the _real_ Turok-Han and the Heartless. I can clearly see that we shall definitely need more of the practice with the X-Men in their exercise simulations," Giles spoke sternly to his Slayers, wards, and fellow Scoobies.

"**More** practice?" Xander, Vi, Rona, and Shannon cried out, aghast and besides themselves with disbelief as they and the other Slayers were pretty much bruised and had their uniforms torn and smudged and dirty from the grueling fighting. Andrew whined.

"I don't think we're going to be able to live that long," the blond teenager moaned.

Still, after that morning, the X-Men and the adults decided that enough training was done and that everyone could have the afternoon off to bond and explore the X-Mansion along as bonding with each other, which the mutants and Slayers did enthusiastically. The Slayers were especially amazed at the plush life the X-Men had at the Institute for the Gifted, and after the training at the Pit, all the girls were eager to just relax and hang out with the mutants.

Meanwhile, Lance was sweaty and exhausted from his training spar with Spirit and Blind Master, so he decided to head over to the kitchen for a drink of water, but the instant he set foot into the room, there was some trouble.

"Oh look, if it isn't Leomon's number-one, groupie fan-boy," sneered Ray's voice disdainfully just as Lance went to go open a cabinet for a glass. Lance's body stiffened as he glanced over his shoulder, and he shot the evil eye at a disdainful Scott, Piotr, and Ray. His face was burning and he felt his body struggling instantly with the desire to punch their respective lights out.

Scott couldn't help rubbing it in, "What, you're afraid to yell because your boyfriend, Leomon, won't let you? Are you a dog on a leash or just so pathetic that you need Leomon's permission and praise in order to fight? It's really sad, Alvers, to watch you sink and lose your dignity like that, all because you're so clingy to that lion."

Piotr then said the most harshest thing as he joked, "Boy, it's no wonder Kitty left you. You love Leomon more than you ever cared about her, but then again, Leomon's nothing more than a furry little hood and upstart, so it's hardly surprising that you two get along so well."

Lance stomped off, fuming though God only knew how much he wanted to use his mutant powers right then and there. But before Piotr, Scott, and Ray could snicker and relish the moment…

"YOU GUYS ARE ABSOLUTE JERKS!" shouted a girl's furious voice from behind, and Ray, Piotr, and Scott turned around to see a fuming Shannon, her face flushed and her body quivering. Behind her was a white-faced and docile Kitty, her eyes showing hurt and shock at the scene the two had witnessed. They had heard every word of the three X-Boys teasing. Piotr felt a bit embarrassed while Scott and Ray just weakly protested.

"It's just a joke! It's not like we hurt Alvers' feelings! And besides, he's said a lot worse things to us!"

The Slayer then left, following Avalanche's paths, as she then heard Kitty starting to scream and rant at a very meek and weakly defensive Piotr.

Shannon went out worriedly, looking around until she saw that Lance was brooding outside in the garden patio of the Mansion, right outside the doors that connected from the dining room to the porch. It was a cold night, cold enough for a jacket, as the sky was clouded with puffs of black and red, extinguishing and hiding the stars. Lance took no notice of the cold as he frowned darkly at the Institute's front gardens. Shannon coughed, getting Lance's attention as the mutant turned to the Slayer.

"You OK, Lance?" Shannon asked.

Lance just shrugged noncommittally as he leaned against the banister, guarded and not exactly willing to share his thoughts with Shannon, unsure if she was going to mock and laugh at him for his views on the Digital warrior like the other Misfits and X-Men. Shannon then continued.

"Still, it was pretty big of you to not lash out at them for ganging up like that. I'm glad you just decided to ignore them and just walk away."

"Are you kidding? If Spirit didn't warn me beforehand to not cause a fight because we need to establish good relations with everyone for the upcoming fight with the Hellfire Club in San Francisco, Summer, Russkie, and Ray would have found themselves buried alive under the remains of the X-Geek's kitchen," snorted Lance.

There was a slight pause before Lance then added a postscript, grumbling.

"Besides, Althea, General Hawk, and Cover Girl said that if started anything again during this time, they'll see to it that I get KP duty for the next month along with babysitting Claudie and Beak and helping do office work for Beach Head, of all people. That last one was enough to make me shut my mouth."

"Oh…" Shannon trailed off as she then understood. Lance didn't walk away because he wanted to avoid a fight; he walked away because he didn't want to get punished and was already warned of the consequences by the others. Still…it was commendable at least. After a few minutes of silence, the girl tried again, asking a question that was on her mind.

"Lance…please don't think I'm being nosy of offensive when I ask this. But why do you support Leomon so much? I'm not making fun of you. But I just want to know why you think Leomon isn't a bad guy or that he's not trying to manipulate us into fighting the Gathering of Twilight."

Lance hesitated before he replied, "I guess because I feel that deep down, he's like us, caught in a war he doesn't really want to fight and that despite what it looks like, Leomon's a good guy. He saved Spirit and me from a fire Heartless in Jump City, and we didn't do anything to deserve it. Heck, we didn't even know him at first and yet he still helped us, complete strangers. Yeah, his mission was to destroy any Heartless, but he didn't say he was required to help and protect people from getting killed. But he chose to help us anyway. And I guess I kinda feel sorry for him too. He's all alone, because his world was destroyed by the Heartless and the Thirteenth Order. He confessed to us that he's the last of his kind, and I guess I feel bad for him. No one should fight a war alone, especially when you've lost everything. And despite it all, I still feel I owe Leomon. I'm not going to be ungrateful to him because he saved my life and my Dad's life. That's a huge debt I have to…no, I want to pay him back, and if no one is going to stand up for the lion that's helped us a lot by now, then I'm going to have to do it. After all, Leomon needs to see some sort of appreciation and know that not everyone hates him."

There was a pause before Lance admitted, "Sound weird, huh?"

Shannon smiled as she placed a hand on Lance's arm, not in a romantic sense, but certainly in a supportive and encouraging manner.

"Actually…it doesn't. Keep in mind that Leomon saved me too. It's not weird, Lance. Not to me, at least. And if anything, when it turns out that Leomon really is a good guy and that he is on our side, I'll help you do your _I-told-you-so_ speech."

The young geokinetic hesitated a bit before he offered the Slayer a smile and said, "Thanks…I needed that."

"Anytime, Lance. We're friends now, right?" the brown-haired girl giggled, and as the two managed to reinforce the bridge of trust and confidence between themselves, they didn't notice Kitty spying on them from the distance behind the cover of a curtain, her face betraying emotions of discomfort, relief…and regret.

Later the next night, after the Danger Room sessions, Althea, Rona, Vi, Tabitha, Amara, Caridad, Lina, Xander, Willow, Sam, Bobby, Kennedy, Rina and Hank along with the dragon Lockheed were sipping mugs of hot cocoa and eating tangerines in the Institute's kitchen, chatting animatedly and already beginning to warm up to each other. Lockheed was in the center of the table's surface, chewing on marshmallows and absolutely loving the time the Slayers and the Scoobies were spending at the Institute. He had never gotten nor received so many tummy rubs and back-scratches in his entire life, so not surprisingly, the baby purple dragon fawned over the strange girls like a puppy. And of course, the Slayers repeatedly played with the pet of the X-Men, thinking that the dragon was absolutely adorable.

"Wow, I've never been around so many people in my entire life," Bobby said as he peeled a tangerine, "Seriously, so many guys would kill for a chance to be surrounded by so many girls in one house."

"Reminds of this one time in band camp…" Willow chuckled, and then she stopped when everyone just stared at her with disturbed, peculiar looks on their faces (including Hank).

"What?" Willow asked innocently.

Sam sighed as he peeled the rind off his second fruit, saying, "You know, the more we hang out with you, the more I wish the X-Men had normal lives like you Scoobies and Slayers do."

There was a general spit-take as most of the Slayers choked on their mouthfuls of hot cocoa, sputtering and Xander was actually wheezing, trying not to choke on a marshmallow. They stared at Cannonball, trying to determine if he was joking, but one look told them that the Kentucky X-Man was quite serious. And the faces of the other X-Men and Misfits nearby were nodding and agreeing with Sam as well.

Caridad's face was registering pure disbelief and surprise as she blurted out, "Let me get this straight: _you_ guys, the mutants, think that we, the Slayers…are **_normal_**?"

"_You're_ jealous of _our_ lives? Whoa, that's a first…" exhaled Xander, his good eye rolling up the ceiling, still amazed from the bolt from the blue.

"Yeah, we are," Lina said sincerely as she indicated to her wings on her back with a nod of her head, "I mean, even though you deal with the paranormal, you don't have to grow up looking like a bug or having your body going through really odd physical changes."

"Oh please!" Rona snorted, "You mutants are the lucky ones! Living in a nice place like this, not having to worry about the First sending his goons to kill you off, not having to worry about the fact that taking the powers of the Slayer means you become an automatic target for any supernatural baddies. It is seriously not harder to be a mutant than to be a Slayer!"

Rina then snorted, "Try being an experiment. I was a clone of Wolverine developed as the ultimate assassin for a terrorist group named Hydra who was put through the Weapon X project when I was ten years of age, conditioned to kill first and never question my creators and superiors."

"OK, that one is original, I have to admit…but us Slayers are more abnormal than you guys!" Rona said.

Hank raised a skeptical eyebrow as he remarked, "As much as I respect the word of the Slayers, I do rather find that difficult to believe."

"That's hardly fair, Mr. McCoy!" Caridad protested good-naturedly, "In fact, I'm willing to bet that whatever you X-Men, Misfits, and G.I. Joe have gone through, it's nothing compared to what we've been through!"

"Very well," said the blue-furred mutant as he took off his glasses and looked at each one of the Slayers and Scoobies in the eye before continuing, "Ever heard of a super-soldier created during World War Two by the name of Captain America? He was given powers similar to those of the Slayers except through human experimentation only to be frozen cryogenically in a deep sleep due to the procedure causing his body to break down unnaturally. Then was he only to be resurrected by Trinity but he was cured by a serum the Triplets developed from Wolverine's blood only to have Captain America defeat the still-surviving Red Skull who turned out to be nothing more than a bitter, cantankerous and shriveled man in a robotic suit?"

"Oh yeah? How about the fact that we had to endure werewolves, ghosts, and vampires attacking our high school on a daily basis, anything ranging from ancient mummies to scientific fish caused by steroids to a boogeyman terrorizing kids and stealing their life-force at a hospital? Trust me, I'd doubt anything you X-Men and Misfits went through was just as bad as one of those baddies that arrived because of the power of the Hellmouth that was underneath the Sunnydale High School! Heck ,I even saw my best friend become a vampire on the first night me and Willow met Buffy!" Xander exclaimed.

Tabitha gave a dismissing wave of her hand as she ridiculed, "Pah! Kids stuff! You want to hear **real** suffering and torture? How about a three-parter adventure of babysitting, camping, and fighting against terrorists in Washington D.C? Scott and Jean had to stay at the Mansion to baby-sit Trinity, Claudius, and Beak which resulted in a chase across town and damage to various restaurants that resulted in a sexual harassment lawsuit from the Mayor of Bayville? And while Scott and Jean were watching them, we had to endure roughing it up in the cold forest and wilderness where we set half the woods on fire, watched our supervisors go skinny-dipping, and then when we got over that trauma, we had to endure going to jail after fighting some Cobra soldiers in a cave and inadvertently caused some rocket fuel to explode! And in addition, the Professor and Beast had to try to make an argument for mutant-rights in Capitol Hill while trying to stop Cobra soldiers and the Dreadnoks from stealing an artifact from the museum but only to result it in getting support from the National Committee of Cross-Dressers and mooning Senator Kelly on national TV!"

"Oh yeah! I remember that last one! I ordered a copy of the video!" chuckled Xander.

"I got one!" Caridad exclaimed, "Faith told us that in Sunnydale, there was a government agency called the Initiative that was trying to harness to power of demons and supernatural baddies through experimentation to form the ultimate demon named Adam. Unfortunately, Adam took over the Initiative by corrupting it from the inside and turning the captive demons loose on the fellow scientists and soldiers! And the Initiative wanted Buffy dead because they thought she was a threat to their mission, but in the end, she ended up killing Adam and saving the captive humans! How's that one sound?"

"Oh yeah? How does this one sound: a weird fat alien by the name of Mojo who could have used several good rounds of liposuction traps us all in his alternate dimension where he made clones of us and tried to put us all on live TV shows with spaceships and dinosaurs so that he can make money off filming our adventures and disasters like a deranged reality series. And then when we escaped, some of the clones of Avalanche and Colossus followed us and wrecked our home trying to fight over the Kitty that lives in _this_ dimension!" Amara retold in a smug voice.

Willow snorted as she said, "You want to hear problems with alternate dimensions? I had an incident when my alternate-self came to this dimension, but it turned out she was a vampire and a servant of evil and a dominatrix to boot! Although…now that I think about it, I kinda have to thank her. It was one of the things that helped me realize that I was a lesbian."

Kennedy and Xander had to ponder that one for a bit before smiling. Xander grinned lewdly and he chuckled, "Oh yeah, I quite remember the leather outfit that the vamp-Willow had on while she was here."

This earned him a well-aimed smack upside the head courtesy of the red-haired Wiccan.

"Now that I think about it, it's sort of like a trend, really. I mean, Angel and Buffy, Spike and Buffy, and then Willow and her homosexuality…boy, I'll say one thing about vampires: they really help you get your priorities straight in your love life," Kennedy remarked.

"OK, I have to admit having an alternate version of you from another dimension turning out to be a vampire **is** kind of weird," Amara admitted.

Sam then said, "OK, how about this? One time, Dr. Strange's apprentice named Benny Barumpbump accidentally came to our school to find three fairies that escaped his dimension and somehow released two demons on our front lawn on the day we got our Institute inspected by representatives from the school board! And in the end, we had a demon wedding, two of the inspectors ran off together, and Kitty got chased by the Sweet, Sugar, and Syracuse because of her love-triangle with Peter and Lance!"

"Syracuse?" Rona repeated, not sure if she heard right.

Tabitha explained, "One of the three fairies. She had over two-hundred sisters, so by the time they got to her, all the good names were kinda taken."

"Please!" Vi groaned, "You X-Men and Misfits think **you** had romance problems with love triangles like the ever-so infamous one we were told five times by your various teammates about the disasters between Lance, Peter, and Kitty? Try _this_ one! The original Slayer, Buffy, had a romantic relationship with a vampire named Angel who actually had a soul, so though Angel was a good vampire, Buffy fell in love with a creature she was fated to kill! And when she and Angel went home run all the way, Angel lost his soul and became evil and started killing everyone! And when Willow gave him back his soul too late, Buffy _still_ killed Angel in order to close up some demonic portal! Only for Angel to come back from the dead and cause some more ruckuses when Buffy fell in love with Riley, a soldier of the Initiative who was being enhanced by chemical experimentation by a scientist named Dr. Maggie Walsh who wanted Buffy dead because she was a threat to the Initiative! And then after the Initiative was destroyed by the Adam-Project, Buffy and Riley broke up because their relationship hit the skids, and then she went on and off again between Angel and **another** evil vampire named Spike! And Spike even tried to rape her! And when Spike was killed in the Battle of the Hellmouth in Sunnydale in order to destroy the Turok-Han, Buffy declared that she couldn't trust Angel anymore because he ended up to work for an evil firm called Wolfram and Hart and now she's currently dating some guy named the Immortal while living in Rome! Try topping _that_ one!"

Althea then said, "Easily. Not only have I been training with ninjas since I could walk, but I have to grow up and raise three psychotic and deranged triplet genius sisters who got control of a tank and made their first explosion out of building blocks, apple juice, and a Cabbage Patch Kids doll when they were only two years of age. And Daria, Quinn, and Brittany have done enough damage and acts of terrorism to make them and any invention they invent easily one of the greatest threats of human society and declare them as hostile invaders in over thirty three countries, **including** the U.S."

There was a loud explosion followed by maniacal giggling of Daria, Quinn, and Brittany as the Aquain tank-submarine rushed past the kitchen window outside in the front yard with Shipwreck, Low Light, Wolverine, Storm and Razor chasing the runaway vehicle as fast as they could.

"**_TRINITY!_**" roared Logan, "**_BRING BACK THE AQUAIN THIS MINUTE OR YOU THREE WILL NEVER LIVE TO SEE DAYLIGHT AGAIN!_**"

"How did they pick through the lock?" Ororo yelled as she took off to the skies.

"They must have stolen the keys from my room after they blew up my vault underneath my bed with that dynamite!" yelled Jake.

"Girls, when we get our hands on you, you three will be grounded until you're all twenty-one!" yelled Low Light as he pursued heatedly after them.

There was a small pause as Willow, Kennedy, Vi, Rona, Caridad, and Xander looked back from the scene of chaos to the Misfits and X-Men, pondering this latest revealed fact.

As crazy as their lives were, they didn't have anyone like Trinity in their ranks.

"You win," Kennedy admitted to the X-Men and Misfits, deadpanned.

"It's so nice to know that despite what we've been though, there are people who have gone through a lot more weirder and insane stuff," Xander remarked idly with some sarcasm as he sipped from his mug.

"Thanks for rubbing it in," Sam griped good-naturedly.

Meanwhile, Rogue, Wanda, and Dana were conversing privately to each other when they stopped to see Toad, Andrew, and Xi conversing softly in the study while writing something down…

"Hmmm…do you three know a word that rhymes with 'Slayer'?" Andrew asked Todd and Xi who were both busily crossing out and scribbling on their pieces of paper.

"How about prayer?" Todd suggested.

"Blessed be, lead to me?" Xi muttered, "No, I don't think that sounds right…"

Todd's face was scrunched up in concentration as he whined, "Aw, man! I need a word that rhymes with 'soul', yo!"

"Uh, do you have _any_ idea what they're doing?" Rogue asked Wanda and Dana.

"No, and frankly, we _don't_ want to," Wanda said shortly as she, Dana, and Rogue continued on their way. Dana snorted as she gave the doorway to the study a disdainful glare of contempt.

"As long as it is anything that concerns that blond, whiny, wimpy science-nerd, I couldn't care less," the scarred Slayer muttered. But then she noticed that Rogue and Wanda were giving each other knowing looks before smiling back at her.

"What?" Dana asked, frowning deeply, getting defensive.

"You like Andrew, don't you?" Wanda asked, but from the tone of her voice, it was as if obvious, and Dana felt her cheeks burn as she suddenly became hostile.

"I am not! Who could ever like a techno-geek? No one! That blond twit couldn't be a Watcher to a bowling ball! Only a complete idiot would actually think that the puny, little shrimp could actually be of use to anyone!"

Rogue and Wanda just smirked to each other as Dana continued ranting and complaining and griping.

"In denial," Rogue said.

"Big time," Wanda chortled.

"OH SHUT UP!" Dana snapped, overhearing the two mutant girls.

The next night, Faith, Wood, Roadblock, and Shipwreck all decided that keeping the kids cooped up was not going to do any good, so they proposed that they use the Mass Device to teleport all the kids to New York for a fun night of dancing and partying and clubbing, with the four of them acting as chaperones. Though sending Shipwreck was indeed dubious considering he wasn't the prime choice for a responsible grown-up, the other adults agreed that the four could take all the kids for a field trip to New York at might, provided that they each wore communicators and kept close watch. And since the Mansion was now abandoned, Razor felt it was best to start work on the glovatrix Xander had been begging the kat to build for him ever since they met at the Pit (and coincidentally, Xander was a huge SWAT Kats fan). And that was how the brown kat found himself in the empty living room, dutifully working with his tools, while the Professor was in a meeting with the rest of the Misfit handlers and Beast was in his laboratory. Jake sighed, his mind suddenly drifting back to thoughts of his former life in Megakat City…and Chance.

"Just like old times, huh?" Jake murmured sadly to no one in particular as he worked, screwing in a component to the apparatus.

"Um…do you always talk to yourself?" a tentative voice spoke behind him, and the kat jerked, his fur standing in end in the jolt, before he turned around to see the Misfit, Whitelighter standing behind him. Apparently, Justin was still at the Institute.

"Um…why aren't you with the other kittens and Slayers clubbing in New York City?" Jake asked, a bit nervous as if he had butterflies in his stomach (though he had no idea why). Justin gave a rueful smile as he settled on the couch behind Jake.

"Me and Pietro drew the short straws to watch Claudius and Barney, and I thought at first Jamie and Trinity could use the company with me and Pietro since he's too young to go clubbing with the others," the chubby boy said.

"'_At first_'?" repeated Jake, his whiskers twitching with some puzzlement. Justin's smile grew a bit more rueful and exasperated.

"Pietro, Trinity and Jamie snuck out of the Institute's grounds a half-hour ago with a spare teleporter watch, and someone needed to stay behind for Claudie and Barney's sakes, to make sure that they don't wreck the Mansion. I just put the stereo to play 'The Martian Hop' song on a continuous loop, so they won't be willing to leave the pen as long as they have that to entertain them. Plus, I added a few squeaky toys as a bonus to make sure they'd be too distracted to try anything. As long I check up on them every so often, it'll be okay."

"Ah," Razor murmured in response as he continued working on the glovatrix. There was only a general silence before Justin then decided to say one thing that wasn't as clichéd or meaningless. He knew whom Jake was still grieving about, and as foolish as it was, the Misfit didn't want to let Jake wallow in his sadness in brooding quiet.

"I wish I had an opportunity to meet Chance. He sounds like a wonderful person, and even though I never watched the series much about your adventures, a lot of the X-Men and Andrew told me that Chance was the type of kat who could be the best friend you could ever wish for," Whitelighter said softly. Jake's eyes warmed a bit in memory before he opened up.

"The X-Men weren't wrong in saying that," the kat said, "And that's what makes it all the more painful for me right now. I mean, don't get me wrong, Whitelighter. I love the kittens now like my brothers and sisters and being a teacher and mentor gives me a better sense of purpose than a SWAT Kat does most of the time. Heck, even the Badger can stand me if he and his psychotic clone aren't busy trying to make me life a living hell. But…I still long for the day when I have someone who I can have a deeper connection to. If not like the brotherly bond I had with Chance, then maybe…a more intimate one."

"Like Callie?" Justin asked, and then he let out an _irk_ as he blushed, realizing he just placed his foot in his mouth and blurted out the question rather thoughtlessly. Justin looked really embarrassed as he hurriedly apologized in a panic attack.

"Eeek! I mean - ! I didn't to - ! I…yow. Jake, I didn't mean to be so nosy. I'm sorry!" Jake chuckled, not the least bit offended and thinking that the rather agitated and apprehensive state of the teen was a bit endearing.

The ex-SWAT Kat shook his head as he said easily, "Nah, don't apologize, kitten. I'm not offended, especially since a lot of the X-Men have asked me that question in the past after watching my adventures with Chance back at Megakat City on the DVDs. And unlike you, some like Xander, Andrew, and Remy were less than blunt and shameless about their questioning. Remy even told me that he wouldn't have minded going on a few dates with Callie had they stayed longer in Megakat City. Unfortunately, Rogue overheard him at the second he said that."

Still, Jake's eyes glazed a bit with some regret as he continued to fixatedly work on the new glovatrix, saying as he worked, "I…I'm not sure how to best describe the way I felt about Callie…but I was never really in love with her in a romantic sense. I loved her as a close friend and she has helped me and Chance multiple times whenever we fought evil and we would have trusted her with our lives and secrets if it had been necessary. But if I wanted her as a girlfriend or future lover and wife, no. I knew she had feelings for me ever since we first ran into her, and yeah, I can admit I was flattered and thought about the idea of the two of us being in a relationship, especially since it was set up perfectly that Chance had feelings for Felina Feral and I could be set up with Callie. But…I just didn't feel that way to her in the end. Though I did care for her, I meant it when I told her that there really wasn't anything in Megakat City worth staying for. I'm sorry that I hurt her, but I couldn't lie about something like that, especially since I can't fake my feelings. And it's better for Callie that I did this in the longer run."

Justin gave the kat an unreadable look, but he forced himself to remain calm and non-eager as he said, trying to sound casual, "I see…"

Jake then clarified, "I guess what I could really use is some sort of way to see Chance one last time, to know that he's all right with me getting on with my life and that he didn't blame me for leaving Megakat City or not being able to do more to stop him from getting killed. Unfortunately, that probably won't happen in this lifetime."

Justin felt even more pained. He then realized just how much Jake blamed himself for Chance's death and for bearing the weight of survivor's guilt, and though he had no way of comprehending it, Whitelighter guessed that it was still hurting. After a long pause, Justin silently got up to go check on the babies but before he left, he turned to Jake who was still working on the new glovatrixes.

"And Jake?" Justin stated, "Thank you for sharing. And I won't tell anyone."

Razor's body went still for a brief second before relaxing, and though the brown-furred kat didn't turn around or look up from his work, Jake smiled as the Misfit left, "And thanks for listening."

At the same time in New York, Shipwreck and Roadblock weren't exactly pleased to learn that Pietro, Daria, Quinn, Brittany and Jamie had snuck out of the X-Mansion to go party with the other kids at the dance club. But Faith stuck for the two teenagers, saying that after all the chaos, worry and training that they had been enduring for the past several days, they deserved to blow off some steam and frustration as much as anyone. And she also pointed out that if Quicksilver, Trinity and Multiple were mature enough to fight enemies all over the entire world, then they were owed a chance to relax and have fun like any of the older kids.

Thus, in the end, Jamie, Trinity and Pietro were allowed to stay and dance their troubles away. Pietro was already living it up as he tore across the dance floor under the flashing, multicolored lights with three of the Slayer girls (who didn't mind his annoying tendencies for once in the euphoria). Andrew and Xi were already trying to break-dance with Daria, Quinn, and Brittany acting like complete, musical maniacs. Jamie was happily enjoying the beat of the loud music as he sipped on a soda, having one of the best times of his life and all thanks to the Slayer that was chugging a beer next to him on the couch.

If Multiple had been awed of Faith after her spar with Wolverine, it was nothing compared to the level of fawning the mutant adolescent had for the brunette Slayer as of now.

Jamie was purely euphoric and ecstatic as he exclaimed with pure admiration and delight, "You are so cool! You're the coolest Slayer and grown-up ever! None of the adults back at the X-Mansion would ever let us party like this! **You are so cool!**"

But before Faith could answer, a voice was sneering behind her.

"Oh look, if it isn't one of the X-freaks. I remember you, kid. You the one with the lame power, the one named Jamie, aren't you?" a familiar male voice, and Faith and Jamie looked up to see Duncan Matthews along with a small group of men bearing regalia and clothing bearing the symbol of the Friends of Humanity.

"Duncan…" Jamie said with a disgusted face. Faith felt the need to deal with this annoyance as she stood up to defend the young adolescent.

"Why don't you leave him alone, jackass?" she growled.

"Why don't you mind your own business, mutie-lover?" Duncan snapped, and Faith pretty much did the only reasonable thing she could do in this situation. She flattened Duncan and sent him to the floor with a swift hook to the chin.

"Get her! Take the kid and scram!" Duncan yelled, spitting out blood. Faith immediately started punching and kicking, but she was quickly overwhelmed as two men grabbed Jamie and dragged him out of the rear exit of the night-club, but before Faith could be subjected to a painful beating, Shipwreck, Wood and Roadblock came to the rescue.

"BANZAI!" they yelled as they tackled the group off Faith, and Jean helped by lifting several of the men and tossing them into the bar with her telekinesis.

"Shall we?" Lance grinned suggestively to Fred, Pietro, Sam and Remy who all leered back mischievously.

"When in Rome…" quoted Fred as he picked up one FOH member and tossed him out the window. Upon seeing this, a large group of burly men rushed at the four boys with switchblades in the hands and ready to do some intense damage, but in their fury, they didn't realize that they were pushing their way and running past Vi, Rona, and Amara. Sharing a look, the two slayers and the mutant shared a unanimous nod before Amara and Vi stuck their foots out right before the leading men could lapse by. With a yell, the two men fell flat on their stomachs, dropping their knives, and upon the sudden and makeshift blockade obstructing the path, several of the Friends of Humanity members also tumbled and fell on top of the first two. And for several seconds, there was general cursing and shoving as the tangled bodies tried to push and free themselves. However, there were a leftover of three men still standing and ready to murder Vi and Amara for their interference. Unfortunately, they didn't see Rona and Tabitha from behind as she adroitly picked up a pool cue and twirled it a bit before she smartly whacked one of the bigots upside the head, breaking the stick upon impact and sending him reeling to the floor. Tabitha took care of the other man with a swift kick to the groin.

Faith yelled as the rest of the men from the Friends of Humanity fled, "They took Jamie! That creep named Duncan took him!"

The X-Men and Misfits rushed out…only to see Duncan Matthews waiting for them with a group of a hundred men, each one of them armed to the teeth with guns and automatic rifles. And Jamie was being held hostage by two burly guys who seemed oddly familiar…

"That's her! That's her!" yelled one of the men holding Jamie, pointing at Faith, "That was the one who beat us up when we insulted her dyke friends! She ain't normal! She beat us up real bad last week!"

"Duncan…"growled Scott. The blond bigot sneered as he pointed at Jamie.

"I wouldn't move if I were you, Summers, not unless you want the kid to get a bullet in the gut," Duncan threatened, but with a blur, Jamie suddenly felt himself get carried out of danger by a moving force before he found himself back alongside the X-Men in Pietro's arms. Quicksilver sneered.

"I'm sorry, what was that? Something you were saying about not moving?" the speedster grinned.

"Shoot them all!" Duncan yelled to his men.

"Ahem…" a voice coughed from behind, and the small battalion sent from the Friends of Humanity turned to see a very smug and eagerly-violent Kennedy, her arms crossed over her chest and with her was Willow and the rest of the Slayer girls Wood and Faith encouraged to go clubbing from the London academy. And from what Scott could best estimate, there had to be _at least_ five-hundred, a good outnumbering for the relatively small mob of one-hundred sent by Graydon Creed.

"Word of advice, buttheads," grinned Kennedy as she cracked her knuckles, "Don't mess with the friends of the Slayers."

The men then turned their guns instantly on the group of girls, ready to shoot and kill, but divine intervention by Jean and Willow settled that threat quickly.

"I don't believe you should ever turn a gun on a lady, you creeps. It's very rude and quite disrespectful, you know. But seriously, I mean, it really does wonders when you get a proper course of etiquette because then maybe you wouldn't be so anti-social and stuff," Willow said with a touch of her trademark uncertainty and nervousness as she and Jean telekinetically lifted the weapons and firearms out of the startled soldiers' hands, hovering them out of reach and high into the air. Now the goons from the anti-mutant union party were left with absolutely nothing to defend themselves except their bare fists…which probably said jack compared to the might and strength of a vampire slayer.

"Get 'em!" yelled Kennedy, whooping the battle cry as the Slayer girls, the X-Men, the Misfits, and Xander charged. Andrew tried to slink away, but he was grabbed unceremoniously by the collar thanks to Todd and Xi and they dragged him into the biggest fracas of Andrew's life.

All in all, everyone could admit later that it had been a thrilling and uplifting experience. After all, nothing brings friends and allies together than a mutual and cohesive butt-whooping on a common enemy who certainly deserved it. And all the Slayers, the Scoobies, the X-Men, the Misfits, Roadblock, Shipwreck, Andrew, Xander and Wood were exhilarated by the high levels of adrenaline and the rush of pride from fighting a good brawl.

Unfortunately, back at the Institute…

"**_YOU FOUR DID WHAT?_**" the remaining Misfit handlers, the X-Adults, and Giles bellowed altogether in unison as they literally shouted loud enough for half of the town of Bayville to hear them as they glared at a sheepish Wood, Faith, Shipwreck and Roadblock.

"We destroyed a club and caused many men from the Friends of Humanity to be sent to the hospital for the serious but non life-threatening injuries they gained from the fight," Wood shrugged. Giles placed his hands on his hips, annoyed beyond disbelief.

"Well, I certainly hope you enjoyed making a fool of yourself, Robin! And Jamie was not even supposed to be there in the first place! How can you possible think that exposing ourselves into these kind of dangerous and perilous situations is even beneficial for the kids?" Giles snapped.

"Are you kidding?" cheered Sam from the background, "That was so cool! I can't wait ta' tell my pa that I got into my first bar fight!"

"Why would your Dad be proud of that?" Tabitha asked, giving her boyfriend an odd look. Sam's grin grew even wider.

"Dad always said that when a boy gets into a good rumble in a bar, that's one of the first testaments to being a man! Heck, any time you can give it to some jerks good in a bar is fine and dandy to us! Yeah, he's scold me and ground me, but Pops'll be pleased when he learns I sent that one FOH jerk flying into the dumpster in the back alley! Still, hope he's all right. From what I heard from the paramedics, he's gonna need physical therapy and a wheelchair for the next several months…"

"Considering he was trying to mow us and the Slayer-girls down with that AK-47, I think we can let _that_ one slide," Boom-Boom retorted with an exasperated roll of her eyes at her boyfriend.

"I wonder how Graydon Creed's taking the fact that a lot of his men got beaten up by Slayers?" Brittany mused out loud.

At the same moment, over at the Friends of Humanity headquarters in downtown New York City…

"**YOU WERE _WHAT?_**" screamed Graydon Creed at a heavily injured Duncan Matthews (unluckily chosen as the messenger) from his main office, his voice so piercing and sharp that any human being from a mile radius could register the tone of humiliated, shocked fury, "**_YOU WERE DEFEATED BY GIRLS? MY MEN HAD BEEN BURTALLY BEATEN, PANTSED, GIVEN WEDGIES, AND SENT TO THE HOSPITAL AND EMERGENCY WARD FOR BROKEN BONES, CONTUSIONS, AND CRACKED SKULLS BY A GROUP OF HUMAN, MUTIE-LOVING GIRLS? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_**"

Apparently, the only thing that could have been _more_ humiliating for the Friends of Humanity would be that if they had also been consecutively beaten brutally by a pack of Brownie Scouts.

---

The next morning, after the fifth Danger Room session over at the Institute…

"Ugh, I'm never going to get used to these Danger Room sessions," Chao-Ahn moaned to Fred in Cantonese, "I swear, fighting and staking robots isn't the same thing as killing an actual vampire."

"This is absolute torture," Rona groaned.

Kennedy however was pretty jubilant, saying, "I don't know about that, Rona. It seems to be doing us a world of good! And I've already asked Scott for blueprints of the Danger Room so that we can try constructing a magical one back at the Slayer Academy where it could really be put to good use! And I can just imagine the sessions we'll be able to do with **our** Danger Room if we can get it off the ground!"

Ray shot a look at Scott, complaining in a brittle, sarcastic tone, "Congratulations, you succeeded in making yet another clone of yourself except only this time, it's a Cyclops as a lesbian! This is really going to go well in the history of the X-Men, knowing we just created more Danger Room fanatics in the world! "

"I wouldn't say that," Pietro leered, snickering, "Especially since it looks like Jean wouldn't mind being in a threesome or playing on the other side of the fence. Hee hee hee – ow! _Ow, my butt!_ **My butt! _She shot me!_ And in the _good_ cheek this time!**"

"Thanks for letting me borrow it," Jean smiled a wicked grin as she handed Shannon back her crossbow as Pietro kept hopping up and down in agony amid the laughing Slayers, Misfits, and X-Men with Dragonfly and Whitelighter trying their best to pull and heal the wound caused by the crossbow arrow embedded deeply into Pietro's rear end. And Scarlet Witch was taking pictures of the memorable event with her camera.

"It was a public service, and I'm beginning to see why it's so much fun to pound the silver-twerp," giggled the brown-haired Slayer.

Unfortunately, at that moment, the good times of the past several days came to an abrupt end…

Batgirl then suddenly appeared right in front of the group, instantly yelling urgently before anyone even had time to yelp in surprise at her sudden teleportation via the Mass device, "You guys! There's trouble!"

"What's wrong?" Cover Girl asked, instantly alarmed. Batgirl gave the female Joe an incredulous look.

"Haven't you guys been watching the news?" she demanded in disbelief. The mutants, the Slayers, and the Joes all looked back blankly at Batgirl and each other before shaking their heads.

"We just got out of the Danger Room and have been training since five o'clock early this morning, so we haven't even had time to turn on the TV or eat breakfast. Why? What happened?" Jean asked. Batgirl just worriedly rushed over to the recreation room while the curious and slowly dreading Watchers, Joes, and the teenagers followed and stood all around the masked vigilante, crowding the room as Batgirl turned on the TV with the remote control and exclaimed with a mixture of anger, disbelief, frustration and dread.

"**_THAT'S_ what happened!**" Batgirl yelled. And to their collective and growing horror, the X-Men, the Misfits, the Joes, the Slayers, and the Scoobies saw what was unfolding live on CNN right before their very eyes.

"_Welcome back to CNN, with our continuing coverage about the now-infamous Halliwell witches, also known as the Charmed Ones_," the woman in the sharp, red business suit spoke in a slightly fearful but nevertheless controlled and professional voice, "_As you may have known, we have received confirmation from the Department of Homeland Security and the San Francisco Police Force that this is not a hoax and that indeed, witchcraft does exist and have been plaguing the world for the past several centuries. Agent David Keyes of the Homeland Security had been quoted that this was not a hoax and indeed, the coverage we have received is indeed real, citing that the Halliwells have been investigated as paranormal threats for the past years under his investigation..._"

"Oh no!" Jamie blurted out, his jaw dropping.

"_Mein Gott!_" Kurt exclaimed in terror as he held his hands to his head, "It can't be!"

"And it's not the **only** one!" wailed Quinn, guessing immediately that this could only result in a media frenzied, wild-storm as she snatched the remote control from Barbara's limp fingers and started wildly changing the channels, only to find that her assumption was indeed correct.

Click.

"_The Halliwells have been reported to come from an existing line of Wicca blood that has been apparently prevailed veer since the colonial times during the Salem Witch trials, a trio of three sisters destined by Fate to fight demons and warlocks and bequeathed by their ancestors a multitude of spells by a Book of Shadows…_" a gray-haired man spoke for MSNBC.

Click.

"_Could this be the next growing threat for the world and for humans, especially after the panic and fury caused by the invasions of aliens and mutant-kind? Could the Charmed Ones be the newest threat to be exposed since the outing of the mutants? We asked Reverend Stryker, Pat Robinson, and Graydon Creed for their input…_" another young male anchor spoke from Fox News.

Click.

"_And it is exceptionally a wonder that the Piper, Phoebe, and Paige Halliwell have established ties to the mysterious groups of G.I. Joe, the Misfits, the X-Men and Batman of all people. If these women have such powerful and influential bonds with heroes of high places, then it is safe to assume that the Halliwells sisters are indeed not normal people and very powerful magic users…_" Summer Gleason reported from Gotham City News.

Click.

"_I used to have the power to generate fire before I lost it, You see, a while back, I fell in love with a half-demon named Balthazor, and in my love, I turned a blind eye and abandoned my sisters to become his Queen of Hell. Though I repented later and killed Balthazor to save my sisters…I had the fire powers when I used to be evil_," quoted Phoebe as they saw an image of the middle Halliwell sister talking with a group of the resentful X-Men, Misfits, Joes, and the Slayers, replaying a very familiar scene. Scott's eyes widened immediately behind his visor.

"That was when we were talking with them at their house!" Cyclops exclaimed in shock, "This was exactly what happened when we went to the Halliwells' house to determine what was their role in Jubilee's parents' deaths with the Turok-Han!"

"They must have had the Charmed Ones under surveillance then while we fought against the Heartless! The CNN chick said that the Department of Homeland Security had been investigating the Charmed Ones for the past several years, and they must have captured our discussion on video! Oh damn it all to hell and back, the federal government has this footage on tape! **_They have evidence!_**" Low Light swore as many of the Slayers and mutants started whispering fearfully and worriedly to one another. This was now spiraling out of control and out of their hands…

"And it gets even worse! Look at this! They have the footage of when we fought against the Heartless!" Cover Girl moaned as she pointed at the TV where Quinn stopped at the next channel of the BBC network, and indeed, what Courtney said was true. There, on display for possibly the entire world to see was the ferocious battle as the Slayers battered at the hulking, black monstrosity with the crossed-out heart symbol on its chest with their weapons while the X-Men, Misfits, and Joes blasted it with everything they got. As the video then showed the mighty Leomon blasting the experiment of darkness with his attack, a woman with a British, cockney accent was speaking in the background, narrating her report while hundreds of thousands of people in the United Kingdom watched on.

"_The federal government of the United States have classified from their intelligence reports that the creature you are witnessing is called a Heartless, and apparently, from the surveillance that was captured in the city of San Francisco at the Halliwell residence, General Hawk of the G.I. Joe military command has said they are an instrument of a demonic force sent by a mysterious group called the Thirteenth Order hoping to doom the planet Earth in a ritual referred to as 'the Gathering of Twilight'. Though there is no word from General Hawk or those of the military, Agent Keyes says that this further proves that the Charmed Ones are a viable threat and necessary action must be taken immediately. Already, the Task Force and the S.W.A.T. team along with the various police forces in San Francisco have been rumored to be grouping together at an inevitable showdown at the Halliwell residence…_"

Wood felt his heart drop to his feet as he said slowly, trying to maintain his calm demeanor while bridging the possible problems that would additionally arise if they managed to clear the Halliwells out of danger, "And not only that but the public is now aware of the existence of the Heartless and the proposed end of the world. This won't get any easier for the Charmed Ones, or us even if we do live through this. And we can't erase their memories about the existence of witchcraft and Wicca and the supernatural now that this has been going on for a while. We don't even know how long the Department of Homeland Security has been holding this information nor do we know who they told."

"Hey, you guys! Look at the bottom of the screen! The logo!" Kennedy exclaimed loudly, bringing the conversation around her to a standstill as she pointed at the television set. There, in clear white lettering, were the words "Property of KTSF station and Lexcorp Media".

"Lexcorp? And the KTSF station? Oh damn it, will **this** cause a lot of frustration!" Roadblock swore, his face hot and flushed and dark with a scowl. Ray turned to the G.I. Joe machine-gunner, lost already.

Bezerker asked, "Why? What's the deal with Lexcorp and KTSF?"

Spirit explained with a grimace, "**Lex**corp, Ray. **Lex**corp. It's one of the many lucrative enterprises and businesses owned by the multi-billionaire tycoon, Lex Luthor."

Piotr blurted out the answer as it sunk in for everyone else, "Oh no! Lex Luthor! That means that the Hellfire Club is behind this then! _That's_ how they got the footage and _that's_ why they're exposing this to the world! So that they can turn the public against the Halliwells and steal the Nexus!"

"Oh shit…" Faith cursed.

"Oh my stars and garters," Hank breathed in horror. But then Batgirl summarized the fact that their worst fears had been confirmed.

"It's too late," Batgirl said, panting heavily with loss, "The Charmed Ones have been exposed…"

**Author's Note: Before I say anything, I will say this about the future story-line: THINGS. ARE. GOING. TO. GET. WORSE. Next Friday, in "Stand-Off", things get intense for the Halliwells as they are left under the mercy of the mobs, the police, and the federal agents planning to invade their home, but can the X-Men, the Slayers, the Scoobies, the Misfits, and the Joes stop this madness before it goes too far? Find out next week, and until then, read and review! And I'm so sorry this chapter came a little late! I didn't plan it on being so long!**


	9. Stand Off

**CHAPTER 9: Stand-Off**

"Get off our block, you freaks!" yelled a enraged man in civilian clothing as he threw a rock at the Halliwells household, trying to shatter a window only to come up precariously short of the pane of glass. Still, even though he and most of the horde couldn't reach the front side of the grand, Victorian house, some used slingshots and miniature catapults to send a number of rocks, eggs, and rotten fruit to pelt the door and wooden walls.

"**Disgraceful!** All of you!" shouted a mother as she held up a sign that said in foreboding red letters, "_Burn in hell, Witches!_"

"We don't want your kind in this neighborhood! Go hang out with those mutant freaks and the Batman's friends of yours, Halliwells!" another man roared as he raised a wooden club, pumping it up and down amongst the roars of the crowd of hate and fear, "You cunts don't deserve to be out with our kids! You and your damned family should have been burned at the stake with all the other witches in history!"

"Yeah! Burn them all! Send the Halliwells to hell!" an exuberant teenager yelled as he held up an unlit Molotov cocktail in one hand and a lighter in the other hand. Those three sentences were enough to set the rest of the colossal mob of enraged civilians into a frenzied turmoil.

"**_Burn the witches! Burn the witches! Burn the witches!_**" chanted the crowd with surprising and horrific rhythmic beat.

"This is so cool!" marveled one child with his friends, watching the scene of his parents yelling and screaming themselves hoarse along with the rest of the mob, "We're going to see a house go on fire!"

"I have to admit, I've never seen a person being burned alive before," admitted another child as they stood under the shade of a tree at a safe distance. Though commanded sternly by their parents to stay in their rooms and remain hidden until the witches were dealt with. But like all impressionable and foolish youths, the kids disregarded their parents' collective warnings and gathered all the neighborhood kids together to view the spectacle in morbid interest. And like all children, they could only see the entertainment value of such a drama.

The teenager, getting lost in the moment, was about to light the rag stuffed in the mouth of the glass bottle, but two policemen grabbed the teen and wrenched the cocktail from his hands before placing the handcuffs on the boy's wrists.

"You're under arrest for instigating mob brutality and attempted arson…" growled one of the cops, reading the teen his Miranda rights as he and his partner subdued the unruly troublemaker, but this act only further enraged the rest of the maddening throng.

"_Get your hands off my son, you jackasses!_ You should be thanking him for doing your jobs!" shouted the father as he tried to tackle and beat the two officers as they led him away to a nearby squad car, but two additional officers had to physically restrain the parent from going too far.

"Why aren't you storming in there? How can you let them live there? For God's sake, **the witches **are the ones you should be arresting!" an elderly woman with gray hair and spectacles snapped, her hands on her hips.

"Take them out!" shouted another woman, "Think of our families and children if you let them run about like that, casting their black magic! Why the hell aren't you doing anything?"

"The Halliwells must have them all under their spells! They must have bewitched them!" shouted a man from the Friends of Humanity with accusation as he held up a sign with a not-so-appealing caricature of three women with black robes and stereotypical witch-hats being hung at the gallows. This speculation again increased the level of discontent and panic to new levels unimaginable.

"They'll bewitch and curse all of us if you don't go in there and stop them!" howled a hysterical woman, pointing furiously at the Halliwell manor.

"Freaks are freaks!" roared a small set of representatives from Creed's Friends of Humanity as one, proudly displaying their firearms and wooden clubs, ready to take action into their own hands, "Magical, mutant, or aliens! **All freaks must die!**"

"If you're not going to do something, **_we will!_**" shouted another man, readying his baseball bat.

At the same time, there was a smaller sub-crowd off a bit in the sidelines, and this assembly was composed of an elderly preacher in the usual black pastoral uniform with a white collar, giving a sermon to the pack of fervent Christians, though anyone with a brain or correct religious doctrine could tell that the preacher's message was _anything but_ Christian.

"It's is God's judgment that these witches die for their sins against God, blasphemy against His will and His power to serve themselves with the forces of the Enemy and of Darkness! For I tell all of you, no witch nor Wiccan nor mutant nor any sympathizers of such people shall be welcomed in the Kingdom of Heaven! A man reaps what he sows, and the Halliwells shall suffer forevermore under the light and authority of God, for such works are not part of His works and teachings but of the Enemy's!" the preacher roared, his red face filled with the metaphorical and false emotions of such "fire and brimstone" dialogues.

"**_Amen!_**" answered back the ardent and burning bunch, feeling truly elated at the man's words and the bout of tragedy and misfortune that befell the three sisters who were now public-enemy-number-one in all of San Francisco if not the nation. Meanwhile, the reporter, Elana Jimenez was doing her umpteenth coverage for the KTSF station, which had now established so much revenue from the licensing rights of the footage of the Heartless that the station was soon becoming even more popular than prime stations such as CNN, BBC, and MSNBC.

"_It is clear that the Halliwells are still hiding out in their home, despite the mobs from enraged civilians, local church groups, and even the Friends of Humanity_," Elana reported from the outside boundaries of the police barricade while her cameraman, Wilson, continued to film with the agents, police and the mobs in the background, "_Though there is no confirmation, it is rumored that the Department of Homeland Security along with the S.W.A.T. teams and the San Francisco police force will storm in soon if they cannot encourage the three women to surrender peacefully, despite the hastiness and apparent imprudence of such a outcome. However, a representative from the SFPD has been quoted saying that Agent Brain Keyes from Homeland Security acknowledges that it would be a better choice than to remain at such a tense stand-off and allow the Wiccans known as the Charmed Ones to try to endanger others with their magic. As many in the department have voiced eloquently, **anything** can be happening in the Halliwell house right now, and it is far better to be safe than sorry. But can we truly be safe, especially since there may very well be other witches and Wiccans out there in the world, passing off as normal, every-day folk along with the various threats and dangers of roaming mutants and aliens? This is Elana Jimenez, Channel 6 News for KTSF._"

Jubilee watched on from the distance behind the barricades along with the rest of the crowd that had been unable to pass the officers and federal agents that had now formed human walls on both ends of the street, blocking other curious and frantic people who had the strong desire to join in with the insane mob now gathered in front of the Halliwell manor. Thankfully, now that all the attention had been garnered and focused on Piper, Phoebe, and Paige Halliwell, not a single officer or civilian noticed Jubilee clandestinely walking around, which made it easier for her plans against those who murdered her parents. The last thing she needed was some bystander to recognize her as a mutant student from the infamous Xavier's School for the Gifted. But the attention now presented a problem: how was she to storm in and take her vengeance on Phoebe with so many people around? If Jubilee just marched there, she would be escorted out by the cops. If she tried to use her mutant powers to take out the Charmed Ones by force right then and there, it could be suicide, especially with the agents of the Department of Homeland Security and the Friends of Humanity around. Still, nothing would dissuade her. The Chinese mutant was fervent and almost mad to see that Phoebe and her family would pay for killing her parents. But still, how was she to get there?

_The sewers…they never expect an attack below…the sewers connect to the basement…_

Jubilee's head snapped up with a gasp, drawing a few curious looks, but she hurriedly walked away, her heart pounding. Though it was a bit silly…Jubilee could have sworn that someone or something was whispering in her ear…

"Of course!" Jubilee gasped to herself. The sewer systems ran underground, and despite the number of officers topside, it was rather dubious if Agent Keyes would send his own men to wallow in the tunnels of pipes underneath amid the filth and human waste. And the mutant could easily blast her way through the metal surface and into the basement! She could literally travel the network of pipes until she could find the closest point to the basement of the Halliwell residence! And with her ability to shatter even reinforced-steel thanks to her ability to generate explosive plasma, she could burrow her way underneath! And attack them all from within before the Halliwells could do anything about it!

Jubilee looked at the scene, studying the number of houses from one end of the block to the other, counting and estimating the distance she would need to position herself until she could reach the very spot where she would, by her best guess, tunnel her way through the underground room.

As Jubilee left to find the nearest, abandoned manhole cover that would allow her to slip through into the sewers, away from the invading eyes and attention of eyewitnesses and onlookers, she didn't even stop to think about how weird and strange it was to suddenly have the idea pop into her head out of nowhere, as if someone had planted the idea in her head. Nor did the former X-Man even bother to look up and notice her surroundings as she fled for the nearest abandoned alley. For if she did, she would have noticed the warlock leader, Zankou, smiling evilly to himself and watching with smug satisfaction at the fact that he managed to ever-so-subtly lead the mutant to do his job via the magical imprint of telepathic suggestion.

It was far too easy. Humans could be so easily led, especially when wallowing in grief and wrathful desires of hate and revenge.

Jubilee would do his work for them.

And soon, Zankou would hold his end of the bargain for Blackheart…and get what he at last longed for so long.

Meanwhile, a certain, blond-haired, female inspector was warily watching the crowd with unease as she held her Service pistol in her hand before glaring poisonously at Agent Keyes who was armed and beside her.

"Still think releasing the footage of the surveillance along with Lexcorp's footage of that Heartless attack was a bright idea, Keyes?" grumbled Inspector Sheridan as she watched the swarm swell and grow in their anger and alarm, eager to watch the downfall of the Charmed Ones. She was with Keyes and his men as they were stationed right in front of the crowd and all lines up, surrounding the house of their targets. To be fair, no one likes hear an _I-told-you-so_, but considering the magnitude of the crushing, massive crowd and the increasing agitation of both the officers and the civilians, Sheridan was irritably blaming the federal agent for letting this get out of hand.

"Don't start with me, Sheridan," retorted Keyes heatedly as he glared at the blond officer, "And if anything, that footage was enough to give us a chance to gain warrants for a tactical strike against the Halliwells from the city thanks to the hysteria and the pressure from the higher ground for the San Francisco officials to do something and save face in the public eye."

That was true.

As soon as the news started to broadcast all around the world as early as one o'clock in San Francisco, the entire city was in an uproar at the news of the existence of the witches named the Charmed Ones and the prophesized Gathering of Twilight and the new threat called the Heartless. And to make the feelings of mistrust, loathing, disdain, and hate increase even more precarious, Agent Keyes allowed the footage of the surveillance to be added, showing the world that the Halliwells also consorted with the likes of hoodlums and mutant vigilantes. That was enough to send most potential sympathizers who watched the events on TV to join the popular opinion that magical beings and witches were of the same threat as mutants and extraterrestrials.

And indeed, Agent Keyes was taking the force of the Charmed sisters as nothing short of a threat of mass destruction.

The entire neighborhood block that the sisters had been living on had been sectioned off and barricaded appropriately with the yellow-and-black striped tape and with plastic, orange, flashing hurdles warning of danger. All the neighboring streets were secured as well, establishing a perimeter sanctioned off from the general public, guarded closely by numerous members of San Francisco's finest police squadrons. However, that had barely been enough to prevent the surrounding civilians from establishing a bloodthirsty and unforgiving mob outside the very front lawn of the brown, two-story house where the targets of their revulsion and detestation resided. Heck, it took all the arranged officers of the police to prevent people from climbing and trespassing over the brick walls in the back and side yards of the Halliwell residence in order to exact unauthorized, vigilante assistance via mob justice. And the calls back from the police station headquarters said that they couldn't jail so many people for long.

The mob, though congregating as a massive cluster of several hundred, were respectfully if not forcefully kept at bay by the presence of the S.W.A.T. team and the federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security, each and every one of them armed to the teeth with black bulletproof vests, guns, shields, grenades, and some even had bazookas, ready to deliver small-missiles with enough explosive force to destroy a small, armored vehicle with reinforced-steel plating. Keyes additionally had several of his men station in the surrounding houses nearby on the rooftops with high-caliber sniper rifles, with the order to shoot to kill should the Halliwells put up a resistance to arrest. There were even two helicopters circling high in the skies above, spying upon any sign of possible breakout from the Wiccans. But Keyes was eager to fulfill and receive the fruits of his hard-earned investigations and covered every possible base he could think of.

In short, there was simply no escape.

Keyes bellowed out in his white megaphone, making himself audible despite the roaring of the crowds, "**Halliwells and residents of the house, this is your final warning! Come out with your hands up, and I promise that no harm shall come to your children!**"

_Like we can't see the lie in **that** one a mile away, you jerk_, Phoebe thought angrily to herself as she peeked behind the drawn curtains, hiding thankfully under the clandestine cover of the inside of the house. As soon as the news started to broadcast the scene and revealed the Halliwells' secrets for the entire world to see, Piper reacted as best as she could in any emergency. Briskly, the eldest sister had Leo and Phoebe help her barricade all the doors and windows, blocking them with cabinets, the sofa, anything she could think of to help prevent people from storming in and breaking down the house to mob them. Paige had been ordered to go orb to the Golden Gate Bridge and call for the Elders' help and their interference to turn back time and stop this madness before it started. So it was just Leo and the two eldest Halliwell women as they did their best to fortify their home from outside threats, making sure to nail down the windows shut, block the chimney, and jam the garage door, making it impossible to open it from the outside.

It couldn't have been done soon enough. Already, in the wee hours of the morning, the threats and screaming began as various neighbors, people Piper laughed and conversed with so many times and friends and in happier times, turned quite ugly and beastly as they shouted profanities and demanded that the sisters leave the neighborhood. Some of the stuff they said was enough to make anyone's hair stand on end with affront and outrage as the verbal harassment continued for two hours. Some started throwing rocks and rotten produce, leaving several shattered windows and messy mulch throughout her entire house, attracting flies and stinking the place. Some set fire to the bushes and tress all around the house as they tried to further vandalize their home (and Phoebe thankfully had the foresight to cast a fire-protection spell on the house). One person spray-painted the message "Whores of Satan" on their garage door for the entire neighborhood to see. And when the police and federal agents came roaring in with the typical bravado of any overblown group of trigger-happy idiots, the crowd actually got larger and larger, roaring so loudly that Piper and Leo were surprised that half of the city didn't hear the clamor. And the phone calls weren't much better. Regardless of the number of people calling to shout threats or other vocal hostilities, there were also some from film and TV executives and producers, wanted to ask for in-depth interviews and sessions and permission to market their story for the public, hoping to get in on the bandwagon of the media firestorm that was now gripping that world about the Charmed Ones.

It got so terrible and stressful that Leo had to unplug every single telephone in the house.

"Phoebe, get away from the window!" cried out a voice, jolting the middle sister from her deep thoughts and flashbacks as she turned to see a rather agitated Piper, "There are snipers on the surrounding rooftops! I don't want you to get shot! Please, just come over here where we can be out of reach from any bullets or bombs!"

Indeed, the night and morning was not good to the oldest brunette. Phoebe could see it taking its toll on Piper. Piper had bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep and worry, her hair disheveled and falling limply on her shoulders, and her eyes were bloodshot and red from the numerous times she just broke down and sobbed, having a good cry at the stress and turmoil and frustration of it all. Wyatt and Chris had been put upstairs, in the safety of their room in their beds, unable to sleep because of the mob and the chaos surrounding their house. Piper sang them songs and fed them, hoping to take their minds off it all, but it was really no use. And it was clear on everyone's minds that they might not be able to escape this with their lives. And Piper couldn't bear it, the thought that she may very well die and her children would grow up without their parents or without a family, to be taken in and treated like animals by the people hounding them. And she was pretty sure that the Friends of Humanity wouldn't have any qualms with kill two babies.

In short, Piper and Leo were at a loss. And things were so grim and bleak that Phoebe was pretty sure that not even a magical spell from the Book of Shadows could save them. Only the Elders had the power to turn back past events and time and alter the precedent, but only that could be done under the most severe and extreme of circumstances. The Halliwells couldn't use their magic to fight because despite the people harassing them, they really were innocents and not demons. And thus, to attack them would be against the code of the Halliwell matriarchs and the Power of Three. And Leo and Piper pored over the Book of Shadows for a solution until they were all weary and dizzy with lack of rest, but they couldn't find anything to erase people's memories (again, only a Whitelighter Elder had this ability), turn back time, or send them to a far away place where they could live in peace (there was nowhere to run to and they couldn't abandon their home and the Nexus).

In short, they were truly stuck and they had no way to get out. And Piper felt like she was going to cry again, her façade of being the strong, eldest sibling cracking into miniscule pieces. And things were even more depressing, dour, and dismal as Paige orbed back into the hallway, immediately jumped on by the other two sisters and Leo.

"Well?" Phoebe asked breathlessly, but Paige miserably shook her head, her face white and her eyes shining with tears of sadness and anger.

"They wouldn't come," Paige said, her voice quaking, "None of the Elders would come to meet me at the bridge, no matter how many times I pleaded and begged. They won't help us, Piper. I…I'm so sorry, I tried. I really tried. They won't help us. I think most of the Elders agree with Gideon and don't trust us anymore because of our betrayals with the Avatars. And even the ones who are on our side like Sandra are probably forbidden to come help us. I know Sandra would come if she could, I know it. But it looks like we're on our own."

"Oh God," Piper sobbed as she wept, her head in her hands as she shoulders shook. Leo held her wordlessly, thinking, before he then said, "Then there's only one thing we can possibly do at this point. We need to flee and escape out of here, away from all of these people and the police. We'll have to try to destroy the Nexus and escape someplace, and Paige needs to orb us as far away as she can. It'll be all right and I'm sure Sam will be willing to - "

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the entire house and threw everyone, Leo and the three sisters off their feet, and the entire foundation rocked and wobbled like as if it was struck by a minor earthquake, the tremors so startling that Wyatt and Chris from upstairs started wailing.

"What on Earth was that?" gasped Phoebe as she helped Paige rise to her feet, "It sounded like it came from the basement!"

Leo's face paled as he exclaimed, "The basement! That's where the Nexus is! It's where the Nexus resides in, where the heart of the manor draws its energy from!"

Alarmed, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige got ready to dash for the basement steps, but they were stupefied when the door to the room below flung open…to reveal and livid, bitter, and unforgiving Jubilee, her eyes blazing and her clothes and jeans soaked with raw sewage from traveling through the large pipes until she managed to blast her way through below, entering into the Charmed Ones' home. Piper cursed as she realized the spell she cast to banish Hawk, Batman, and their teammates on that fateful night didn't constrict Jubilee from entering…_because she wasn't present at the time Piper cast the spell on the Slayers, mutants, and Joes in the first place._

Thus, unlike Cyclops, Wavedancer, Hawk, Batman, and the others who had appeared on that night to accuse Phoebe of murder and how the Halliwells were selfish for not helping them combat with the Heartless and prevent the Thirteenth Order, Jubilee did not have the limits and restrictions of the magic charm preventing her from entering.

"Piper, freeze her!" Leo yelled, but before she even could, Jubilee attacked…

---

"Stop this, all of you! Leave them alone!" yelled Spirit as he and the rest of the Misfit handlers along with the Slayers (consisting of Vi, Caridad, Rona, Shannon, Dana, Chao-Ahn, Kennedy, and Faith), the Scoobies, Giles, Wood, the X-Men, the Misfits, and Batgirl rushed towards the front lawn, trying to force them the officers and the mob to cease their hateful behavior.

"Yeah, back off and go pester someone else, landlubbers!" Shipwreck snarled, but if anything, this made the crowd madder and even more enraged at the presence of mutants and mutant supporters.

"We're not listening to any mutie-lovers! You X-Men and Joes have no jurisdiction here, so back off or I'll have my men shoot - !" Keyes yelled, but then from inside the house came several explosions and telltale flashes of light similar to fireworks as there was general screaming and sounds of objects breaking, a sure indication of bloodshed. And then the front door exploded, flying out in a combustive effect of splintered wood and glass before Phoebe flew out and crashed onto the grass, flat on her back and heavily injured. She had caught a stream of multi-colored plasma full in the stomach, and everyone could see that her midsection was bleeding profusely, a gaping, messy and seared hole, and the full intensity had been so great that Phoebe was sent flying backwards to the outside of the house.

"What the hell?" Sheridan gasped, thoroughly confused as Wood, Whitelighter and Dragonfly rushed to help heal the brown-haired Wiccan, Jubilee stumbled out, trying to fight with Leo as he caught her in a bear hug while Paige and Piper rushed out, out of their minds for Phoebe's safety.

Upon seeing the X-Men and Misfits and Joes, Piper couldn't help but scream shrilly with rage, "This is all your fault!"

"Nice to see you too!" snapped Faith.

"Shoot them all!" yelled one FOH member as he and his comrades aimed their guns.

Piper, thankfully using her quick thinking and foresight, then voiced as quickly as she could, praying she could finish voicing the spell before the mob started to attack, "_Weapons of death and men of hate, hear these words to keep us safe. Bullets will fly and rocks shall stone, but come no hurt to blood and bone. With this spell I cast this charm, reflect the attacks to those who harm._"

The men fired at once, and so did several of Sheridan's fellow officers (despite Sheridan's insistent screaming for them to stop), but to everyone's surprise, none of the bullets and deadly projectiles struck close.

"Whoa!" Iceman gasped.

"They're not hitting us?" Tabitha exclaimed in disbelief. Indeed, it was quite rare and remarkable to witness magic up close and in action such as this.

"No, my sister protected us with a spell! As long as it's in play, none of the bullets will even hit us!" Paige gasped as Whitelighter finished healing Phoebe, but Jubilee broke free from Leo's grasp as she tried to tackle and strangle Phoebe on the ground right there.

"You murdered my parents! You murdered my parents!" Jubilee kept screaming hysterically. But as Phoebe tried to focus herself and defend against the hands trying to choke her (despite Storm and Wolverine trying to grab the Chinese mutant off), Phoebe's power of clairvoyance suddenly and miraculously activated…and she saw everything, _including_ the meeting between Tala, Pierce, and Leland. And at the same time, Jean and Professor Xavier, by some miracle or because the force of the magical vision was so blaringly intense that they had no idea that they were picking up on it, inadvertently saw the same thing Phoebe did.

And it was the final piece of evidence that proved once and for all Phoebe's innocence.

"My word!" Xavier exclaimed as he then projected the image to his fellow X-Men (including Jubilee), the Misfits, and the Slayers before the crowd, now completely out of control, charged, trying to overwhelm the mutants.

Batgirl then exclaimed, loudly enough for half of the crowd to hear her when she viewed upon Phoebe's premonition, "Oh my God! I recognize her! That was _Tala_! **_Tala_** was the one murdered Jubilee's parents!"

"Tala? Who is _Tala_?" asked Remy, blinking, lost on the strange woman in the crimson-burgundy robes before he let loose a charged kinetic card that exploded upon contact in front of several Friends of Humanity, causing some of them to stumble in pain, but mostly become enraged at the third-degree burns now peppering their skin. Though Gambit was adamant to prevent the hate-mongers from injuring any of his teammates, he wasn't going to sink low enough to endanger their lives.

"She's an enemy of the Justice League! Tala's an evil sorceress! She's an enemy!" the red-haired vigilante exclaimed.

Beast then put it together instantly along with Scarlet Witch, Wavedancer, Jean, Forge, and Giles, saying, "Oh my stars and garters! And Lex Luthor is also a member of the Hellfire Club along with one of Batman and Superman's worst nemeses! So if he was behind the KTSF gaining the footage of the Slayers and the Charmed Ones - !"

"Then he must also have been responsible for sending Tala, another fellow villain who hates the Justice League, to kill Jubilee's parents into order to frame the Halliwells! He and the rest of the Inner Circle have been planning this from the start! They set Jubilee up! They set **all** of us up! They've been doing this from the beginning!" Wanda gasped as she hexed a bazooka out of the hands of a S.W.A.T. soldier.

"But how do we know it wasn't made up? How do we know what we just saw is even the real thing?" Rona yelled above the din as she gave a swift kick to a man right in the stomach before he could try to bash her head in with his baseball bat.

"Smoke missiles, away!" Razor yelled as he fired several pellets of thick, cloudy smoke, causing it to obscure the views of several of his attackers before he, Cannonball, Vi, and Amara set themselves upon the attackers with their martial arts and fighting skills.

Quinn then gasped as it came to her as she shouted, "No, don't you remember what Hawk said? Phoebe has the power to see the past and future with her magic! She can't have imagined this because her Wiccan powers did it! This must have really happened!"

"And it's valid as well!" Storm shouted as several gunshots rang overhead, "I recognize two of those men from various meetings we had with Charles! That is Donald Pierce and Harry Leland, members of the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club! And there is no way Phoebe could have ever known them before because she is no mutant! So the only way she could have seen them is that if this was true to begin with! Child! Jubilee! Stop this at once! Phoebe is innocent!"

"No, I don't believe it!" Jubilee sobbed, as Wolverine dragged her off a shaken but now fully-healed Phoebe Halliwell, but now the others were beginning to see the truth as it logically and rationally clicked into place.

"Oh my God!" gasped Lina, her hands to her mouth, "We were wrong! **We were wrong about everything! **The Charmed Ones really are innocent! They didn't do anything to deserve this!"

"But you shall all die here, anyway!" rang out a sinister and strong voice from behind, startling both the crowd

As one, the San Francisco Police Department, Agent Keyes and his squad of S.W.A.T. and Homeland Security agents, the Friends of Humanity, the Scoobies, the Slayers, the Joes, the X-Men, the Misfits, and Batgirl looked up to a rather bone-chilling scene.

"What the hell?" Sheridan gasped, her hands clammy and cold against the touch of the gun in her hands as she stared at the distance, now truly knowing the real essence of untarnished, petrifying fear as she stared at a huge mass of the strangest and most vicious crowd of…things she had ever witnessed in her entire life.

"Oh no! This can't be!" Vi gasped to herself as she went for the knife strapped to her belt.

Batgirl turned pale as she cursed loudly, "Damn it, where are the others? Why aren't they here?"

---

"We have a situation!" yelled Superman as he and Batman fled towards the main control room of the Watchtower in orbit that served as the alpha-communications center, the very same room that Kurt and Todd had accidentally let loose a family of hamsters and Tabitha accidentally activated the sonic incapacitator machine. There in the room, the Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, and Hawkgirl stood ready as they watched the scene happening upon San Francisco at once.

"We have to get there immediately!" Wonder Woman gasped, her dark eyes troubled upon the images on the monitors, "By Hera, there is no telling what will happen if those things are let loose upon the city! They are surely creatures of the foulest evil!"

"And Batgirl is already down there, waiting for our reinforcements against this threat," Martian Manhunter said in his usual calm tone, deep and permeating throughout the room.

"I'm using the Watchtower's Mass Device thanks to Trinity's blueprints to set the coordinates into the Halliwell Manor right now! Hang on! We'll teleport there in several seconds!" commanded Green Lantern as he furiously clicked upon the console, his fingers nearly bludgeoning the keys before the African-American warrior finished with a final flourish. There was a flash of light as the seven members of the Justice League were engulfed with the telltale essence of mass energy before they disappeared…

…only to reappear back into the very spot they stood before in the Watchtower's control room.

The seven heroes failed to transport themselves from their headquarters to San Francisco.

"What the hell?" Green Lantern exclaimed as he rushed back to the console, "I was sure I entered in the commands correctly!"

"Maybe we forgot to pay the teleportation bill," quipped Flash. Thankfully, everyone ignored him as they bit their tongues. Hawkgirl then had a sudden thought as she looked at the head of her mace, and the red-haired Thanagarian's eyes widened as she spotted the telltale glow surrounding the metal sphere of her weapon.

"Look!" Hawkgirl said sharply, raising her mace for the other six to view upon, realizing the significance of the luminescence of the N'th metal. Batman's eyes narrowed as he came upon the answer in a split-second as Wonder Woman clutched her hands to her chest.

"Magic!" the Amazon gasped, her eyes now even further troubled, "It must be all around us and the Watchtower!"

"And there's nothing wrong with the systems of the Watchtower according to the specs I'm reading from the mainframe and the Mass Device…" Hawkgirl pointed out in a flat tone, though inside, she was rather distressed and uneasy at their predicament.

"So something must have been cast around the Watchtower, to prevent us from leaving!" Flash said, realizing that things got worse, "And that means we can't go to San Francisco to help defend the Halliwells or the Slayers!"

"And the magic is apparently blocking my telepathy and all transmission signals emanating from or coming to the Watchtower, so I cannot warn Professor Xavier with my telepathy nor can we utilize the communications center to contact the Misfits or the X-Men or anyone else to help them," J'onn said, concerned.

"And it's the **same** reaction I got from the enchantment that caused Supergirl to fall into the coma, so whoever is behind the same mystical energy that attacked Supergirl and her powers is **also** coincidentally behind the barrier that is preventing us from leaving," Hawkgirl said, connecting the pieces of the slowly developing mystery. Superman frowned with deep thought as he looked at Shayera.

"Then that means even if we tried to physically leave the Watchtower, we still probably wouldn't be able go to Earth to help Hawk and the others," Superman muttered.

"But it shouldn't have been able to happen!" Flash exclaimed, protesting, "The Watchtower's sensors had been on full-alert and the highest setting ever since Kara got attacked! We can even detect a single grain of space dust from a thousand miles in space! Not even Faust and Morganna have been able to use their abilities to attack our base!"

Meanwhile, back on Earth, a sudden surge of black, telekinetic shadow-force swirled out of thin air right outside the boundaries of San Francisco, creating a cyclone of powerful energy as it took into the shape of a gigantic and magnificent raven before the bird arched back its head and let loose a shrill cry of demonic presence before it disappeared, to reveal Robin, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy, the five members of the original Teen Titans.

Starfire blinked as she looked around before she remarked, "Um…Friend Raven, I do not think this is the manor of the Halliwells in which the Misfits and X-Men had asked us to meet as the place that was assigned for a meeting to defend the Nexas."

"That's _Nexus_, Starfire," Raven returned dryly, deadpanned, before she turned to Robin, her eyes anxious and awkward underneath the shade of her hood, "I don't understand, though. My powers should have teleported us directly into the city, and I could sense the magical energy originating from San Francisco, the force of the Gaia life-essence of the planet. There is no way I could have messed up."

Robin then had a sneaking suspicion, but before he could voice it, Beast Boy said rather enthusiastically with the typical hyperactive, stupidity of youth, "Well, c'mon! We can make it if we run for it! We're still in San Francisco! C'mon! Last one to the Halliwells has to pay for the next pizza delivery!"

"Beast Boy, no!" commanded Robin fearfully, but it was too late as the green-furred changeling transformed into a green, spotted cheetah and dashed away directly towards the city from their position. Unfortunately, there was a flash of multi-colored light before the cheetah hit head-first into an invisible barrier of force, and the touch of contact sent painful and excruciating jolts of energy into the animal. Beast Boy arched back and howled in pure agony as the magic continued to assault him, causing the fur to scorch and smoke. And what made it worse was that the Titan was stuck, unable to extract himself from the clutches of the barrier; it was as if he was an insect caught and fastened by a spider web.

"Damn it, let go of him!" roared Cyborg as he aimed his grappling hook and fired, knowing that if he tried to extract the young adolescent physically, he too would become enveloped into the paranormal net and trapped. The snare attached itself firmly around the cheetah's waist before Cyborg and Starfire yanked back with their strength, and gracefully, Beast Boy flew backwards out of the deadly shield and landed unconscious into Cyborg's arms, now reverting back into his human form.

"Beast Boy?" Cyborg murmured with compassion and worry as he gently shook the singed and bruised body of his young friend, "Buddy…c'mon, pal, don't do this ta' me, ya' hear? C'mon, wake up."

"Idiot," Raven said with annoyance at the green prankster (though everyone knew she was just as apprehensive as well) as she laid a glowing hand on the bloody forehead of Garfield, healing him with her powers. Though it was bad, Beast Boy's chest was rising and falling with his rhythmic breathing, his face relaxed. He was still alive, thankfully.

"It's a barrier of Q'aylath!" Starfire guessed, using terms of her native language, "It is a shield, and it must be all around the city! That is why Raven's magic cannot take us into the city! That is why Beast Boy got hurt badly! _It is this clorbag barrier!_ It must have been formed all around the San city of Francisco!"

The robotic Titan looked confused as he then spoke.

"What the heck? Y'all finding this ta' be weird? How the hell can this be happening? It's almost as if - !"

Cyborg stopped as the possibility hit him, but Robin and the other Titans realized it unanimously at the same moment as well.

"As if someone wants to make sure we _don't_ interfere," growled Robin, cursing the shrewd prescience of the unknown enemy.

"Then no one can help the X-Men, the Misfits and the Joes!" Cyborg shouted with ire and helplessness, "Aw, damn it! They're on their own, and **we can't help them!**"

---

"The shields are now around the Watchtower and around San Francisco, Marluxia," Saix reported, his scared face and cold, green eyes gleaming in his reflection of the fountain of the Thirteenth Order, the stone carvings of the Heartless watching lifelessly from their respective positions above the pool of water as the black-robed Organization member cast his mystical powers over said targets. Marluxia and another Organization member named Xigbar, who proudly bore a black eye-patch among his scarred face and long dark hair tied into a ponytail, watched with amusement and slight anticipation.

"And can they break the enchantments, Saix?" Marluxia asked flatly, his flower scythe resting on his shoulder. Yet the silver-haired male shook his head, his demeanor cold, merciless, and completely devoid of any feeling.

Saix replied rather irritably, "No, Marluxia, not even the Justice League or the Titan, Raven, should be powerful enough to break the seals I placed upon them and San Francisco. The only ones I can imagine who would be powerful enough to destroy such enchantments would be the Charmed Ones themselves, but of course…they are currently going to be fighting for their very lives. So right now, it is safe to assume that the Titans and the Justice League shall not be able to aid them in this fight. No one can get in or out of the city."

"Excellent, and Blackheart is ready with the plans for the Nexus," Marluxia said as he turned, satisfied and faithful that his aforementioned servant would deliver the prize on hand. Xigbar frowned with his good eye as he spoke in his grating, deep voice.

"But why do _this_, Marluxia?" Xigbar asked with some puzzlement and a hint of suspicion, "The Superior wouldn't approve of such waste of resources, especially when revealing the magical world to the short-sighted residents of the Earth. Why not let the humans kill the Charmed Ones themselves in the firefight to come? Why cause even more confusion and chaos when our primary goal is the Nexus itself? We can deal with the witches, the Slayers, and the mutants well enough once the Gathering of Twilight comes to pass."

"Because I do not trust the likes of the Friends of Humanity or those fools in the city's law enforcement to effectively deal with those heroes who continue to remain a thorn in the Organization's side. If the army the Hellfire Club along with Blackheart is enough to finish the job and ensure that a good portion of those meddling teenagers will perish, then thinning out their ranks suits us just fine. And keep in mind that it is not given yet that the Gathering shall appear on Earth. Thus, until it is absolute that the Door to the Light shall appear in this planet, we must continue to trouble these heroes in any way we can, for our benefit and for the benefit of the Superior."

"And did you ever stop to think that the Misfits, X-Men, G.I. Joe, the Slayers, the Charmed Ones, and the…Scoobies could be more than a match for the warlocks and vampires? What _then_? I'd doubt that the Superior would be so tolerant of such failures," Xigbar retorted, his voice now even more grating and accusatory. It wasn't surprising that the man nearly grimaced at uttering the name; indeed, most if not all of the Thirteenth Order and the Inner Circle thought that such a title referred to as "the Scoobies" was absolutely ridiculous and silly. Marluxia glared at the Organization member out of the corner of his eye.

"For your information, Xigbar, I _have_ thought of that, so I'd suggest you watch your tone," the man with the scythe said acidly.

"And may **I** suggest you remember that I have been a member of the order far longer than you, Marluxia!" Xigbar growled.

"Enough!" commanded Saix sternly as he then turned his attention to Marluxia and said, "And why do you wish to draw the heroes in a larger battle? What purpose would it exactly serve us?"

"Simple: we still do not know the identities of the Sovereign and the Champion of Twilight as well as the three people who contain the Talismans. If there are people of pure hearts and strong souls, it is a given that **one** of the members of the sorry troupe must either be the Sovereign, the Champion, or a holder of one of the three Talismans. And you also forget that a Keyblade wielder must also reside on Earth. If these heroes do manage to survive in the battle, we can gain a better outlook on which could be potentially dangerous to the cause," Marluxia replied in a smug voice.

"And what if they win and stop us from gaining the Nexus? What if Zankou and Blackheart are not enough to stop them? Keep in mind that those mutants and Slayers and soldiers of G.I. Joe have that damned Leomon on their side!" Xigbar highlighted, bitter. Yet Marluxia's grin grew even more cat-like and malicious.

"Again, I have wisely foreseen that possibility," he said with cunning, "You're forgetting the trump card the Cadmus group has for such an emergency…"

---

There, in the very front of the abnormal and ominous congregation, was the dark-skinned warlock named Kahn, Zankou's second-in-command and alpha-chieftain of war, along with a hundred other warlocks, all of them men with horrific, dark tattoos and wearing metal armor and black, leather apparel, all of it enchanted to be lightweight and highly resistant to attacks by blades and the medieval weaponry that the Slayer girls carried with them. And along with their abilities to cast dark magic and energy projectiles, Kahn and the other warlocks were incredibly smug as they stood alongside some very familiar forms that were moving rather erratically, swaying as if moving to a rhythmic dance, snarling and grunting like savage animals…

"Oh dear God in Heaven…" trailed off Giles, white in the face and his eyes glassy behind his glasses.

"Turok-Han!" Chao-Ahn exclaimed in Cantonese as she readied her axe, clutching it so tightly her knuckles turned white, "There's a whole army of them!"

"But…that's impossible!" gasped Caridad, "It's sunny outside! The Turok-Han are in the sun! They can't go out in this! The Turok-Han are **terrified** of sunlight! It's a weakness! They'll die under the exposure of the sun!"

But Xander then hit on it as he murmured, "Magic…X-Men, Misfits, didn't you guys say that this Organization is very powerful because they can control the Heartless? And that they get their powers from the powers of darkness? Darkness, as in **the opposite of light**! Then couldn't they be strong enough to - "

"- enhance the Turok-Han with the ability to withstand sunlight!" finished Bezerker, his blue eyes wide, "Oh no! Now the Turok-Han are even tougher than ever! Like the Heartless that attacked you guys several days ago! They're somehow getting stronger than before!"

"And they're armed! Oh boy, this isn't good!" Multiple gasped as he readied his glovatrix for maximum use and payload delivery, his breath coming out shakily as the sight of the crude swords, spiked clubs, and pole-arms they bore, tarnished, chipped and made without much care nor purpose except to kill and main as messily and gruesomely as possible.

"What the hell are those things?" exclaimed one federal agent as he visibly shook underneath his vest and armor, feeling that his cover next to the squad cars was not going to be enough to protect him as Kahn then roared his only command, pointing a finger at the Halliwells, the human crowds, the Slayers, the soldiers, and the mutants.

"**_Kill them all!_**" roared Kahn as he, the warlocks, and the Turok-Han charged, setting themselves immediately upon their victims, eager for bloodshed, death, and for the Turok-Han, a complete thrill of feasting and slaughter. Professor Xavier then tossed all caution to the winds as he then used his telepathy to warn everyone in their minds, hoping to forewarn the officers and the spectators to flee and escape while they still have the chance.

_Run! They're vampires! They'll kill all of you!_ The Professor nearly bellowed, his voice literally echoing in the heads of the civilians, the soldiers from the Friends of Humanity, and Inspector Sheridan and Agent Keyes' forces and squadrons. But if anything, this made the people even more frightened and angry, maddened by their fear and disbelief, and naturally…they lashed at the mutants and their allies.

"Men, shoot to kill! All of them! It's an ambush set up by the Charmed Ones! _Shoot to kill!_ **Shoot to kill!**" Keyes roared in his communicator, issuing the highest alert and most extreme command ever given to a federal agent. Sheridan gasped at the words as she looked at the federal agent from Homeland Security; this was absolutely intolerable.

"No, you can't!" she yelled, shaking Keyes' shoulder furiously, "There are innocent people here! You might hit them! Keyes, for God's sake, use your head or some people and _your men_ will die because of this half-assed plan!"

But her pleas fell on deaf ears as the S.W.A.T teams and the San Francisco police offices started shooting upon the Turok-Han, the warlocks, the Slayers, and the mutants, causing an immediate reaction of pure pandemonium. Many of the angry crowd that were so eager to congregate in front of the Victorian house as a way to protest and verbally harass the Wiccans were now fleeing for their lives. Some made it out, managing to dash and scramble madly over the walls and into the nearest houses before locking the doors tightly behind them. Others were not so fortunate. Some trying to flee in terror had stumbled on the blacktop of the street, and in their mad dash, the crowd merely trampled them before they could even rise, stepping and crushing them underneath their feet, killing them mercilessly in accidental death. One of these was the old woman who snapped at the officers for arresting the teenager who was trying to use the Molotov cocktail. Some unluckily were shot at accidentally in the mad insanity and folly of the terrified armed soldiers, but thankfully to Piper's spell, none of the bullets even came close to hitting the civilians as they dashed by in frightful alarm. It was Piper's charm that saved them from being shot at to death.

Unfortunately, it was not enough to save them from the warlocks and the Turok-Han.

Many of the children died instantly when several of the cruel and callous warriors of Zankou fired searing balls of energy upon the youngsters, and though the acts of Quicksilver and Jean Grey tried to protect as many as they could by dashing in and grabbing them out of danger or by using telekinetic shields, the youngsters were far too dispersed for the two mutants to stop and protect all of them. And the warlocks were not the least bit emotional as they let loose upon any defenseless child they could.

"**No!**" Jean gasped, wailing, tears in her eyes, as she saw one ten-year old girl scream as a energy ball engulfed her and sent the child's body aflame. Pietro shook with anger and disgust at the sight of the small, charred corpses now littering the street as he held the two kids he managed to grab out of the warlock's path of destructive rampage.

"You…bastards!" Quicksilver cursed, his face for once broken with grief and rage, "You monsters! _You goddamned monsters!_"

"Um…Mr. Mutant, sir?" the girl in Pietro's arms piped up hesitantly, "Mommy says it's not nice to swear."

"Oh, trust me, if Mommy was here, she'd let _this_ one _and_ the next hundred ones slide…" Quicksilver muttered as he grabbed more kids and rushed them out of the barricades and to safety alongside the rest of the spectators who were watching in horror from the distance, away from the fighting.

The preacher who was in the street and preaching that it was God's will to punish the Halliwells gave a short scream before the Turok-Han that grabbed cleanly broke the elderly man's neck with a swift and satisfying snap as the vampire and his fellow brethren threw themselves upon the earlier mob of hate and intolerance, being surprisingly quick in their carnage and butchery. One woman screamed so piercingly that it sent shivers all around to anyone who could hear her as another Turok-Han grabbed her and bit down hard on her neck, seeping out the precious life-force of blood. And the S.W.A.T. teams, the federal agents, and the San Francisco police officers did not go unscathed either.

"Oh God, they're bulletproof! Those magical freaks are bullet-proof!" hollered one S.W.A.T. agent in foreboding dread as he let loose several armor-piercing rounds into a front-line assault of the Turok-Han, but they acted as if they were simply being pelted with confetti, hardly even showing any indication that the shrapnel was slowing them down as they set themselves upon some of the officers. They either fell victim to the brute strength of the undead as they were beaten, stabbed and broken to death or they were eaten alive. One warlock then flung a energy ball strength at the mutants, and by sheer bad luck, it was heading directly at Jubilee who gasped, but Phoebe acted quickly.

"Watch out!" Phoebe yelled as she tackled Jubilee to the ground, and by her intervention, the mutant girl's life was spared as the energy ball struck the wooden side of the Halliwell home. Jubilee was stunned beyond disbelief.

"You…saved me?" she gasped and Phoebe looked at Jubilee with understanding, realizing that this was the one window to prove to the vengeful mutant of her blamelessness and incorruptibility.

"I'm a Wiccan. I'm a good witch. I help people. It's what I do. And I would never murder your parents like you first believed," she said strongly, and there was longer any question about it.

"She's right, Firecracker," Logan scolded rather harshly, "Her sister's a _real_ bitch, but Phoebe isn't evil like we once thought. We were all mistaken. The Hellfire Club really planned this one out."

"We have to destroy the Nexus!" Piper yelled at her two sisters, both of them nodded with bleak determination, but as they turned to move to the house, they saw to their horror, Zankou at the front door, triumphant and arrogantly smug as he waved his hand, closing the door and invoking a magical barrier to prevent the Halliwells from entering back into their house. But for that fleeting moment, the Charmed Ones saw, to their shock and dread, that Zankou now had the Book of Shadows in his hand, the protective wards no longer shielding the book from evil entities such as the warlock.

"The book!" cried Leo, "He's got the Book of Shadows!"

"But how?" Phoebe gasped, "The only way Zankou could even touch the book would be if the magic no longer was around to guard it out of his reach! And that can never happen except if - !"

It hit them. Their fighting and their emotional breakdowns. The Book of Shadows was linked to the sisterly bond of the Power of Three and the emotions, tied to the souls of the three sisters of prophecy. Should these two vital requirements ever be broken, the Book of Shadows would become vulnerable, and with it, all the Halliwells' magic secrets, just ready for a powerful warlock like Zankou to use for his own gains. And this included…

"The Nexus! Zankou's after the Nexus!" Leo yelled. As one, the sisters held hands before they voiced the spell to "Banish the Suxen", the very same spell Gideon had advised them to use, the very same spell they committed thankfully to memory should they ever need it.

"_From ancient time, this power came for all to have and none to remain. Take it now, show no mercy, for this power can no longer be…_" the Halliwells chanted, their voices strong as it rang throughout the entire yard. Yet to their horror, it didn't work! The spell to destroy the Nexus didn't achieve its goal! The Nexus was still intact and ready to be fully harnessed by Zankou!

The Halliwell manor was still as calm and pristine as ever, displaying no indication that there was any sudden, violent explosion of magical energy of the Nexus being eradicated.

"Oh no! It didn't work!" Phoebe wailed.

"It must the barrier Zankou and that huge evil demon-thing must have cast upon the house! We can't access the manor or the Nexus now! The protection and magical block that cast us out must also prevent us from using the spell to destroy the Nexus! And Wyatt and Chris are still inside!" Paige gasped.

"No!" wailed Piper, her hands to her mouth.

"We can like help you get your kids, Piper!" Shadowcat exclaimed, jumping at the chance to make amends. But the eldest sister was obviously less than willing (and even more loathed to forgive and forget)

"We don't need your help, X-Men!" snapped Piper hoarsely, red in the face, "You made it clear that you didn't trust us! If anything, **you** caused this!"

"Look, we're sorry about that, but now's not the time! You have a choice: either help us fight and protect them or die in this battle alone! Either way, we'll still try to help you stop them and stop Blackheart, so no matter what you say, we're helping you! When this is all done, then you'll have your full apology! So shut up and fight!" Cover Girl snapped as she shook Piper roughly by the shoulder, unwilling to waste any time gabbing.

"Yeow! They're blitzing us! Those yahoos are charging! Watch out you guys! This is gonna get intense!" Rogue gasped, warning them all on her communicator as she narrowly dodged a energy-ball that one warlock hurled at her position in the sky from the ground.

"And they're not the only ones! We're being shot at by the FOH and those police officers as well!" Magma yelled as she tried setting the grass in front of them ablaze, causing a wall of searing fire to erupt in front of the charging anti-mutant bigots, slowing them down at least before they could try to club them all with their bats and wooden beams.

"_Bozhe moy!_" cursed Colossus in Russian, "So it's not like the other battles before! This isn't just one side versus another! We have to hold out and stand up against **four** different enemies! This fight isn't going to be easy! It's multi-sided, everywhere! And we can't hurt the FOH or the police officers!"

"_Preferably_, I might point out," grumbled X23 under her breath as she drew out her claws.

"Oh geez, we're going to die, we going to die, we're going to die!" Andrew panicked, nearly wetting his pants and hyperventilating and panicking already as he clutched his wooden staff like a drowning man clutches a life-preserver, "Oh God, I need to throw up!"

Xi gently but firmly clamped a clawed hand on the blond teen's shoulder, saying strongly, "Just stay with me, and you won't get hurt! But we can't fall apart now, especially if they kill innocent people here in the city! Just stick with me and Toad! We'll fight together, as brothers! Just trust yourself and your staff!"

"_Take them!_ The mutants and the Charmed Ones!" roared Kahn as his warlock army and the Turok-Han rushed them all, cornering them against the house, with a fair amount of the gunmen and officers from the Friends of Humanity and the Department of Homeland Security adding more to the chaos as well.

"Hey, so what are us Slayers, chopped-liver?" snapped Faith as she readied her fists, eager to do some major butt-kicking as Wood stood beside her with his sword and throwing stars ready.

It was going to be a battle free-for-all.

As the Jubilee just looked on the approaching threat, numb and trembling, she realized the implications of her actions.

"Oh my God, what have I done?" she cried to herself, cold as ice in her soul and grief.

**Author's Notes: Check back next Friday when the real fighting begins! Yep, this is going to get very ugly, especially when Cadmus sends their secret weapon, and things'll be made a little more clearer concerning Supergirl! But can they be enough to stop this threat, enemies all around and even BEFORE the Heartless showing up? And what of the Nexus? Will Zankou be successful? And what of Wyatt and Chris? Find out in the two-part battle for the ultimate power struggle between the Organization and the heroes in "Knight Takes Rook" and until then, read, review, and enjoy! Constructive criticism welcome! And blame real life for my sporadic updates! Yes, I know I'm an hour and a half late! My apologies, but I hope you do enjoy this chapter!**


	10. Knight Takes Rook

**CHAPTER 10: Knight Takes Rook**

"What the hell is going on?" yelled an aghast Wilson as he continued to film from the sidelines live along with his fellow reporter, Elana, "It looks like all hell's broken loose!"

"Just keep filming!" the female Hispanic snapped back, hearing the excited and hysterical commands from the editor of KTSF on her wireless headset, "Geoffrey says that this is gold! Cut to me in three…two…one…"

Despite the trembling, paralyzing grip of ice on his stomach and heart, the cameraman managed to professionally turn his lens onto the brown-haired reporter as she did her best to remain cool and composed despite the screams, roars, and occasional noises of energy discharging in the background.

"_This is Elana Jimenez, reporting live for KTSF!_" she said, half-yelling, "_What you are witnessing is what can only be called pure chaos, a battle between mutants, humans, witches, and believe it or not, **vampires**! From we can tell, the Halliwells, also known as the Charmed Ones, are fighting alongside the mutants and soldiers infamously known as the X-Men, the Misfits, and G.I. Joe and a strange group of criminal girls and odd civilians along with the protégée of Batman known as Batgirl! It appears that they are not surrendering without a fight, and to make matters worse for the San Francisco Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security, a new and third hostile group of oddities have appeared out of thin air! Professor Xavier has just recently told us via his mutant power that they are vampires, but it is entirely possible that it could also be a cover-up for another band of psychopathic mutants, bent on killing innocent men and women to protect the Wiccans and their allies!_"

"Elana, duck!" yelled Wilson immediately as he hurriedly knelt to the ground, covering his head with one hand, and alarmed, Elana forgot all pretense as she threw herself down to the pavement right before a stray energy ball thrown by a warlock whizzed by over their heads and collided against a tree harmlessly. Elana continued to report, her heart racing.

"_With so many individuals fighting to protect the Charmed Ones, it is highly likely that everyone in the fight and witnessing the scene from the sidelines will be in real danger! We encourage everyone watching to stay in your homes and do not attempt to come to the neighborhood of the Charmed Ones! As you can see behind me, there have already been tens of casualties, many of them bystanders of the mob that had gathered to protest the Halliwells' existence! And their children! With so many violent threats converging in this very street, more casualties are most likely, and God help the brave men and women fighting the evil threats to protect us all, for this is nothing short of a war-zone!_"

Indeed, what the reporter had commented was true. It was a war-zone, and everyone was being caught in the middle of the crossfire between the respective and relative sides of good and evil in the Hellfire club's demented chess game. The Organization and the Inner Circle apparently knew how to go full out when gaining control of Zankou's armies and the Turok-Han alongside their already-reserved armies of the experimental Heartless. If it was a war they wanted, then the Thirteenth Order would give them one, a sure battle that the assembled heroes would not likely survive.

However, if they thought the mutants, the Joes, Batgirl, the Slayers, and the Scoobies could be an easy kill, they couldn't have been more wrong. The warlocks and Turok-Han found out the hard way that the X-Men, the Misfits, the Joes, the Slayers, the Watchers, the Scoobies, the Charmed Ones, and Batgirl could all fight very well, easily being a match for them. Or perhaps more of a match.

And the past days of training at the Pit and at the Danger Room at the Institute only further honed those skills.

"_Inflammo Gladius Contego!_" Willow chanted, her hair immediately turning white as a testament of her journey to being a future Guardian, her eyes glowing like sparking jewels of sandstone, before she flung a hand at Kennedy, Dana and Chao-Ahn's weapons before their respective swords, knife, and axe became awash with living fire. Their blades became steel torches, hot enough to sear and cut through steel and sharp enough to decapitate any vampire's head as easily as cutting paper with scissors. Like the times they had done before in the Danger Room, Willow was combining her magical skills with the Slayers for an additional edge against the fight, thanks to Wolverine, Xavier, and Giles' studies and commentaries while watching the teens practice their fighting techniques at the Mansion. Even X23's claws glowed with the same telltale luminescence before her very adamantium claws were bathed with magical flames, the heat hardly burning her and the metal remaining cool despite its conductive properties. Rina grinned at the red-haired Wiccan.

"It could be useful," she said simply before she and the rest of the Slayers flung themselves fearlessly at one faction of the vampire horde. The three Slayers charged, roaring as the front line of offense with some of the X-Men, Misfits, and Joes by their side, ready to strike together.

"To quote the Terminator: _hasta la vista, baby_!" Xander spoke with some jest as he charged alongside with the kat, Razor, unafraid of the numbers against them as Jake immediately and acrobatically leapt up and delivered a nice blow into the heads of two Turok-Han with a midair split-kick while Xander clashed swords with another, the vampire trying to push the human out of the way with its brute strength.

"For bloody sakes, Xander! This is not a game, so do be careful!" snapped Giles as the bespectacled Watcher effectively engaged into a battle with a vampire, parrying his sword against the monster's axe.

Meanwhile, another faction of the heroes split up with the Slayers and Paige and Phoebe as they faced the warlocks who immediately began hurling energy balls and dark magical attacks of all sorts of varieties and magnitudes. Jean and Willow then both teamed up and invoked a shield, combining telekinetic forces and magical Wicca powers which stopped most of them in their tracks. Avalanche then struck with his ability as he raised a hand towards the pavement, and it began to crack and jerk madly underneath the warlocks' feet, the tremors becoming so violent that the neighboring houses were starting to break and tremble. Some of the earthquakes formed deep chasms in the ground, and stupidly, some of the Turok-Han fell into the gigantic rift as they were separated from the heroes, a great divide that physically hindered them from getting close. Yet the men and warriors of the leader, Zankou, were not the least bit hindered as they vanished in thin air, using the demonic method of teleportation called "blinking"…only to appear directly behind the group of heroes.

"Oh shit!" yelled Bezerker as he and Cyclops used their glovatrixes and invoked Tesla barrier force-fields at the last minute as the warlocks attacked, and by a shred of a second, the energy disks of protection warded off the attacks before it could strike their friends. Beast roared in a animalistic, feral growl as he leapt up and tried to attack from above, his gargantuan hand ready in a downward hammer-punch, but before he could hit them, the nearby warlocks blinked again to safety before some of the others in the group were about ready to kill Beast.

"No!" yelled Scarlet Witch as she flicked her fingers and thanks to her hex, each and every one of the energy attacks narrowly missed Beast by several inches before they turned on their own creators, and the warlocks' last sight was seeing their own magical spells being reflected right back at them.

"AAAAAAAAAAAA!" they screamed before they died instantly. Beast looked up at the female Misfit.

"Stars and garters! Thank you, Wanda," Beast said with extreme gratitude.

"Just watch your back, Mr. McCoy," Scarlet Witch grinned as she hexed a axe out of one Turok-Han, causing the metal head to unexpectedly break off and leave the undead warrior weaponless which was perfect as Cyclops killed it, cutting it in half, with a powerful optic blast of sunlight, so concentrated at the spells the Organization cast on the Turok-Han had no chance of protecting the unfortunate foe from the solar radiation.

However, the rest of the warlocks then decided to play the annoying game of keep-away as they kept teleporting all throughout the battlefield and throwing their black magic before disappearing to safety before their enemies could retaliate back.

"Hey! These creeps are like sooooo fighting unfair!" Kitty gasped as she phased into the ground at the drop of a hat and avoiding the energy strike, "We can't touch them when they keep doing this!"

"Yow! They're teleporting everywhere! We can't hit them!" yelped Shipwreck as he narrowly ducked to avoid a lethal blast of paranormal magic, but Phoebe narrowed her eyes before she intoned in a booming voice, not unlike her own, the winds slightly billowing all throughout the street as she raised a hand at the warlocks.

"_Evil men of death and gore, use your evasive tricks no more! With these words I hold you still, no longer shall you blink with your will!_"

And instantly, the spell took into effect as the warlocks found they could no longer use their powers to teleport all around the war-zone, now seriously and incredibly handicapped.

"What in the name of the First?" gasped one warlock as he looked at his hands, hardly daring to believe it.

"That Charmed One! She did something to us! We can't blink!" exclaimed his comrade in rage. But then he felt a stabbing, searing pain in his heart before he died, screaming, as the Slayer Vi drew out the knife she embedded into the warlock's back.

"Good, then it evens the odds, creep!" the red-head snarled as she then attacked the second necromancer with several punches and kicks, barely allowing him a chance to throw an energy attack. Desperate, the evil wizard drew out a wicked dagger from his belt. But Magma was not going to give him a chance to use it on her friend as she let loose a stream of fire into the opponent's back, and the warlock was vanquished immediately by the surprise attack.

Vi gave Magma a glare of amusement and thanks, saying with good humor, "I had him!"

"I figured why chance it?" the Nova Roma princess grinned as she then turned into her fiery form and began hurling multiple fireballs, showering many of the enemy with a fiery rainstorm of heat and blaze while the Slayer took care of any close-by threats with her fighting skills and knife.

Willow gaped at the scene before she nodded with approval at the middle Halliwell sister, "Wow, that was a pretty good one. I don't think I could have done it better myself. I mean, a spell that only prevents the teleportation of warlocks and evil magicians while making sure it doesn't affect the good teleportation of us? I think you were excellent and wonderful, um…well, your spell casting was excellent and wonderful, I mean, not that I'm hitting on you or anything…"

Phoebe smiled, amused, as she said, "Honey, your babbling."

"That's one of her more lovable sides, if you ask me!" Kennedy called out as she expertly parried a sword out of her opponent's claws with one sword before she used the short-sword in her right hand to plunge the blade into the vampire's head. Then she sensed a presence behind her, and remembering what Logan told her when they first sparred at the Pit, Kennedy instinctively held her second sword and positioned it vertically in front of her left side.

_Clang!_

At the last second, the sword of the Slayer stopped a Turok-Han's axe from embedding deep into her midsection. The vampire was planning to strike the unsuspecting girl from her blind spot, and had she not blocked the blow at the last minute, Kennedy would have been dead.

"Hm, I gotta thank Wolverine one of these days for pointing out to not leave my left side exposed!" Kennedy smiled to herself with pride as she rammed her elbow into her attacker's face before changing the grip of her sword and driving it behind her into the vampire's gut, causing it to howl in pain. Then the brown-haired Slayer easily cut its head off by crisscrossing her two swords together like a pair of scissors before she lunged, slicing the neck cleanly and leaving the corpse to disintegrate into dust.

"But there's still too many! Phoebe, couldn't you have used a spell that would have vanquished and killed all the vampires and warlocks at once?" Wood bellowed as he and Roadblock attacked two Turok-Han with a combination of their fists, the butt of Roadblock's machine gun, and Wood's sword. The Wiccan gave the Watcher a dry look as she let loose a cross punch into one Turok-Han's face before throwing it effectively with a judo throw.

"Are you kidding?" she snapped, demanding, "I'm not **that** powerful by myself! I'm not God, you know!"

Giles quickly ran to the Charmed Ones' side as he decapitated the vampire she was fighting, realizing that she would increase her chances of survival greatly if she had a weapon.

"Here, take this, Miss Halliwell," Giles murmured as he handed Phoebe one of his swords. Phoebe gave the Watcher a dry look as she then used it to stab an unsuspecting necromancer in the back, causing him to die instantly and perish in flames.

"You're a little overly formal, aren't you? Not a good time when we're fighting for our lives," she said in between giving another warlock several swift kicks before ramming the pummelstone of the acquired weapon into her opponent's eye and blinding him.

"I'm a Brit, Miss Halliwell. We tend to have dry, detached mannerisms when we're facing death. And for the record, this is barely anything since I've experienced and survived the Hellmouth in Sunnydale. I've been attacked by better classes of evil bastard than this," Giles smoothly shot back as he decapitated a Turok-Han as it rushed past him in its mad dash. Phoebe snorted.

"Oh, I think I can give you a run for your money on that one…_sir_," she added with extra mock-politeness and emphasis on that last word as she used her sword to parry the club of a rather gutsy and overly violent Friends of Humanity member.

Meanwhile, Dana got in over her head as she tried taking on six Turok-Han by herself, and she was pinned down to the ground as five of the vampires pinned her down with their strength and body weight and the sixth remaining vampire raised its polearm high above its head, ready to stab Dana in the heart. Yet the vampire suddenly was engulfed with flames from behind, and it could only howl inhumanely as it was rendered into ashes within seconds. The other five immediately back off, fearful, letting go of Dana, and the scarred Slayer looked up to see a familiar Joe.

"You creatures of unnatural evil and enemies of the great Spirit of the Earth shall not harm these children, not while **we** are here to fight you," rumbled Spirit deeply, his dark eyes flashing, as he held up his butane flamethrower that was connected to the small fuel pack lashed to his back, filled with a plentiful supply of the flammable liquid, enough to burn three or four entire blocks of buildings and houses. And the Turok-Han was _not_ immune to fire. It was no magical spell like Willow's tactical attack, but it was more than suitable. The Joe offered his other hand to Dana who gratefully and quickly was pulled to her feet.

"Thank you," Dana said hurriedly as she readjusted her grip on her knife and her stake, holding the blade of her knife pointing downwards, ready to stab. Spirit gave her an approving glance of trust.

"Watch my back, young one. If I miss any, it shall be left to you to handle them," the Joe solider ordered.

"Meh, you don't have to tell me to kill something," Dana shot back easily as the five remaining vampires of the Ancients charged. Spirit let loose a stream of powerful fire from his flamethrower, setting three of them alight, and considering butane was much, much more flammable than gasoline, the Turok-Han were immediately overwhelmed with pain as they stopped and tried to beat the flames off. But it was futile as the heat spread and killed them all. The fourth vampire tried to leap over Spirit's head and attack him from behind but it was immediately halted by Dana. With a scream of rage, Dana karate-chopped the sword out of the vampire's hand, causing it to drop the blade before she let loose a side-kick into the dead ogre's face. Stumbling back, the vampire tried to punch the Slayer, but Dana effectively blocked it before she jammed her stake hard into the Turok-Han's forehead, causing the wooden spike to stick into the vampire's skull. Dana then got behind the vampire in a swift, strafe move before she slashed her knife across the Turok-Han's throat, cleaving the head completely off.

"Don't get carried away, Dana!" Spirit roared as he continued to set some more vampires alight as Dana threw a Turok-Han into two warlocks, causing them to stumble and fall from the heavy body of the vampire colliding with them. Two Turok-Han charged at Dana, but before she could prepare herself, a tremor actually caused the very ground in front of them to rise and toss them back like rag dolls, roaring in surprise. Dana gasped as she turned to see a grinning and sheepish Avalanche.

"Need some help? Us rejects should stick together," Lance grinned. Dana sneered good-naturedly as she tossed the geokinetic a polearm from the ground.

"Think you can stomach killing a vamp?" Dana drawled.

"Well, I'm no Slayer…" Lance began as a Turok-Han leapt at him from his blind spot, but with months and months of training with the Joes and with Spirit, Lance easily dodged the sword before he rammed the blunt end into the vampire's stomach hard before he brought the bladed end down upon the Turok-Han's neck, beheading it instantly in a graceful martial arts move, fluid and seamless.

"…but I think I can manage," Avalanche finished rather proudly.

Meanwhile, Blind Master, Wolverine, and X23 were charging as a group of unstoppable and uncontrollable wave, stampeding through the sea of vampires and warlocks, unhindered and as easily as if there were no obstacles in their path. They moved like the wind, swift and brutal and leaving nothing but a trail of ashes from the numerous warlocks and undead fiends of the First and the Hellfire Club. Blind Master, despite his lack of sight, moved fluidly, hardly showing any shortness of breath from his run as he brandished his katana of pure Japanese steel (and modified with a protective spell by Willow to deflect magical attacks). X23 was running with her claws still covered with fire from Willow's spell, and it performed much noticeable extra damage as she hacked and slashed away with it. And any vampire or warlock that she missed with the claws in her hands, she simply used the lone claw in her foot to stab them with ease. And in the middle of the two was Wolverine, breaking into a pure fury of animalistic rage, a fury so deep and powerful that Logan's eyes practically glowed under the sunlight, letting loose powerful and bone-breaking punches and kicks, taking care to not strike his teammate and his clone. And the enemy was powerless to stop them. If the warlocks tried to blast them, Blind Master simply deflected it with his katana or the three assassins would simply dodge the magical spell, splitting up, before converging again. If a Turok-Han tried to attack them from the side, X23 and Blind Master would simply stab and kill them with their weapons and claws. And any unlucky soul who chose to try and attack them directly in front was met by Wolverine and messily rent into pieces, his claws so swift that no one could detect and discern them until it was too late.

In this case, Blind Master, X23, and Wolverine complemented each other in this tactic wonderfully, and over and over, the three warriors ran, leaving a clear trail of destruction and death, silent and intent on taking out as many enemies as they could.

Meanwhile, Multiple was truly in his element as he punched his palm six times before he formed a line of sixty-four clones, all of them armed with a very powerful and devastating glovatrix as they all faced another charging faction of Turok-Han, all of them armed with swords and axes. Yet thanks to careful and meticulous training by Jake, Multiple was very familiar with his weapon as

"Semtex missiles…AWAY!" yelled all the Jamie clones in unison, and the Turok-Han just wondered dumbly at the approaching and unfamiliar little objects leaving behind trailing lines of smoke as they flew in the air and spiraled directly towards their position…

**KA-BOOOM!**

"Whoa!" the Slayer Rona gasped as she looked on at the payload of explosives made a big, charred, smoldering crater in the street, the only telltale remnant of where the vampires once stood. The small throng of Turok-Han had completely disintegrated, and even the force of the explosions from Jamie's glovatrix attacks had seriously thrown back and injured several more enchanters and spellcasters and vampires. Multiple grinned as he gathered back together and blew the smoke off the mouth of his glovatrix rather showily.

"When you got it, flaunt it," the adolescent bragged.

Meanwhile, the X-Men, Misfits, Joes, Slayers, and Charmed Ones saw no end to the number of wizards in sight. Yet suddenly, the warlocks stopped and screamed, behaving very erratically. Whatever it was, it appeared to be affecting them enough to just stop in the middle of their tracks and claw at their temples, heads, and eyes, howling with intense levels of fear and confusion. Several even fell to their knees, convulsing madly and foaming at the mouths.

"By Lucifer! They're all around me! They're everywhere!" roared one black-magic caster as he was throwing dark bolts of energy left and right in the air, hitting nothing in particular.

"It hurts! **_It hurts!_** Make it stop!" shrieked another enchanter, clutching his head painfully as his skull felt like it was going to explode and erupt into a torrent of oil and fire.

"By the First and Samhain!" swore a third necromancer, "Not even Hell is this excruciating!"

"What on Earth is going on?" Vi asked, her blue eyes wide and her jaw dropping in astonishment, but a telepathic voice spoke in all of their heads, echoing in their minds as most of them turned to see the Professor concentrating his telepathy on the numerous warlocks, his fingers on his temples and his brow furrowed.

_I'm distracting the warlocks long enough so that they don't endanger you or the other innocents here! Quickly, subdue them before they destroy the entire block and all of us in the process! _Xavier warned telepathically.

And sure enough, to the teens' collective alarm as a good portion of the X-Men, Misfits, and Slayers charged, some of the warlocks already seemed to be recovering steadily from the telepathic assault. One boisterous male witch even got up and started throwing energy spheres at the heroes which, thankfully by Jean, got reflected back with a simple telekinetic push.

"Professor, what about the Turok-Han?" Jean yelled as she sent several said monsters flying back before they could stab Low Light and Shipwreck from behind, "Can't you put them to sleep or something?"

_No Jean_, hissed Xavier mentally, _I cannot! The warlocks and the Turok-Han are too many in number for me to put them all out at once and distract! I can barely keep hold on the warlocks themselves! And no, it would do you no good to try yourself, Jean! The vampires are immune to my telepathy! I cannot even sense a soul or a conscious mind inside them! Telepathy will not work on the Turok-Han!_

"Funny, our powers work just fine!" reported Daria with some satisfaction as she, Brittany, and Quinn held hands and shot at a close Turok-Han with a small bolt of psychic lighting, and the Delgado Triplets were immensely pleased to hear the undead drone howl like an animal. Apparently, telepathy and psychic lightning were two entirely different forms of attack. Brittany spoke on her communicator to Professor Xavier as she and her sisters' collective eyes turned white upon invoking their powers.

"We'll take care of the Turok-Han! Professor X, you and Jean handle the warlocks!" and with that Trinity hovered up high in the air, safe from harm since the spell Piper cast on all the guns made the snipers' bullets absolutely harmless as they aimed and fired upon the three mutant adolescents repeatedly. Ignoring Keyes' men, Trinity rose from the air as they besieged as many of the primitive vampires they could, the sky now crackling with static electricity as shafts after shafts of white, unadulterated mental energy showered down. A good portion of the Turok-Han were completely blitzed with pain, forgetting their commands as they dropped their weapons and shrieked, unable to deal with the agony of the psychic lightning. And thanks to the Danger Room sessions, the Delgado Triplets were able to accurately strike only the enemies without even grazing a single ally or team member.

And the screams, howls, and wailing of the undead were music to the Triplets' ears.

"_Bad Turok-Han!_" yelled Trinity in an ethereal voice, "_Bad Turok-Han! Bad Turok-Han! Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad!_"

"_We do **not** bite and suck blood!_" instructed Brittany as she zapped a vampire.

"_We do **not** take orders from the meanies in the Hellfire club!_" lectured Quinn in a stern tone, as if she was a teacher giving a good dressing to a disobedient child.

"_And above all else…!_" Daria yelled.

"**_No killing! Bad, Turok-Han, bad! You all need a spanking!_**" Trinity yelled as they continued in their psychic assault.

"You know, Trinity is _really_ starting to grow on me," Caridad chuckled as she rammed her fist across as Turok-Han's face with a solid hook before slashing the blade of her sword over its throat, "I don't know why, but I'm actually starting to like those little rugrats…"

Then Caridad and Shannon saw another cluster of Turok-Han charging towards them, and both girls them remembered their earlier training as they saw that Piotr was busily fighting two in his steel form.

"Go! I can hold the fort in the front while you get them from behind! Go, like we practiced in the Danger Room! Don't worry, I know what to do! Just get Colossus to give you a lift!" Shannon yelled as she let loose a crossbow shaft fly, hitting a Turok-Han directly in the eye. Caridad grinned at her best friend before she ran towards the metal X-Man.

"Colossus, I need a fastball special! Your position, six o'clock!" Caridad yelled as she quickly dashed towards the metal X-Man with her sword in one hand and a heavy, spiked mace on a stick in her right hand. To Caridad's relief, Piotr immediately faced her after knocking away the vampires he was fighting, and Caridad allowed herself to be held in his strong yet gentle arms before she flew headfirst over the heads of the vampires, high enough to avoid their weapons before she landed on her feet behind the mob. With a yell, Caridad picked off the vampires one by one, using her made to club them or her sword to decapitate them. Confused, most of the assemblage of vampires tried to gang up on the Filipino Slayer, but because their attention was diverted, Shannon was able to seriously injure many of them by repeatedly shooting arrows into their heads and chest, her aim true and barely even needing a fraction of a second to aim. Soon, the vampires were attacked on both sides, trying to defend themselves as best as they could from Caridad's physical melee attacks and from the deadly shafts that rained the sky and embedded into their heads and bodies rather painfully.

Split into two like this, they all succumbed to the deadly teamwork of the two Slayers.

Willow then saw a warlock approaching Colossus from behind…

"Colossus, here!" Willow yelled as she flung a hand at the Russian X-Man's steel form, and there was a faint shimmer in the air before Piotr felt a strange yet surprisingly pleasant sensation all over the metal armor of his body. The warlock then snarled as he then summoned a shaft of black-lightning and flung it at the young adult. But to Colossus' immense surprise, the magic bounced off the steel-skin and ricocheted back at the wizard, incinerating him under the crackling bolts of darkness as he howled in agony before dying in flames. Piotr blinked before he turned to Willow.

"I placed a reflective spell on your armor!" Willow exclaimed, "I didn't want to chance it and hope that your mutation could be enough to ward off any magical attacks and dark magic! As long as you stay in that form, you should be able to reflect back any magical attacks…I think."

"Comrade, thank you!" Colossus praised as he nodded before he charged, roaring mightily, with his fists ready at ten vampires at once, all of them armed with swords and axes and polearms. The vampires snarled as they blitzed the mutant, hacking away with their weapons and blades, but to their dumb astonishment, the weapons broke upon contact of the unbreakable, organic-steel, leaving the Turok-Han dumbfounded as they just stared lifelessly at their ruined armaments. Which was exactly how Colossus was able to pound them out of mortal existence as his fists went flying, multiplied in strength many times by his mutation. Two of the Turok-Han immediately crumbled into the dust when Colossus took off their heads in a single backhand, and six of the group then leapt up and tackled the mutant, trying to pin him down and claws at his flesh while hanging on his body. But like the others, they were sent flying by the strong-man's fists, so powerful and formidable that many of the Turok-Han disintegrated into dust in the air before they could crash to the ground.

At the same time, Blob was furiously fighting alongside Chao-Ahn as they fought together against a crowd of Turok-Han (much to Dragonfly's brief jealously, even though the adults and Giles and Wood surmised that based on their past training, Lina would be of more help fighting Zankou's men than she would of the vampires). Remembering their training, Blob struck wildly, and his impenetrable skin was strong enough to withstand the teeth, claws and weapons of the vampires as he charged with Chao-Ahn on his back, using her flaming axe to slice and hack at any vampire who tried to get on Blob's shoulder and back. One lone and daring Turok-Han managed to latch on the fat mutant's back, but several rams with the butt of her axe followed by a downward slash with her weapon caused the Turok-Han to wither and die as Chao-Ahn killed it. And none of the vampires were able to stand up and restrain Blob as he roared, his fists battering poor vampires left and right as he trampled them with his massive weight, not even faltering in the least bit.

Fred was not known as the "unmovable" Misfit for nothing. And with Chao-Ahn and Blob acting together, they managed to beat down a path of flattened, crushed and hacked bodies that were dying and turning into dust under the sunlight, almost exactly like X23, Blind Master, and Wolverine's tactic.

"Hiya!" yelled Batgirl as she let loose a swift kick into a vampire's stomach before strafing herself to the side and throwing the stunned Turok-Han far from her person with a fierce judo move. Faith was watching Batgirl's back as she single-handedly managed to throw off two Turok-Han who were trying to pin her down and stab her with their polearms. Many tried, but none of them were the least bit successful as the two girls used their fists and martial art skills to beat them back.

"There's still too many! We can't keep this up!" Bobby gasped as he and Jubilee teamed up their attacks with a mixture of ice energy and artic plasma to incapacitate several warlocks instantly.

"We cannot give up, Iceman!" Storm yelled as she hovered high into the air, summoning a furious storm of hail and snow, calling forth in the midst of the suddenly darkened skies, "**Winds of the cold and ice, beat back those who oppose the nature of elements! Drive back the unholy alliance!**"

The warlocks and the Turok-Han screamed and howled as they were suddenly hammered from all sides with hail the size of gold-balls and sub-zero temperatures, unable to function as ice started to gather in their limbs and seem into their bodies. A few dark magic-users tried to cast their dark spells on Ororo, but she sent down many shafts of lightning additionally, causing many to perish instantly.

"This should help though!" yelled Quicksilver to Iceman as he dashed in between the vampires and warlocks, snatching whatever crude weapons and swords he could reach, moving so swiftly in a blur that they could hardly see the albino mutant. This was perfectly fine with the Misfit speedster as he ran all around the battlefield, leaving many of the Turok-Han helpless as they suddenly found themselves without weapons. And it wasn't as if the hyperactive speedster was leaving the swords, spears, and axes to waste…

"Let 'em have it, Jean!" Pietro said as he dropped all the crude, medieval weapons in a pile in front of the X-Girl before he dashed off again. Jean closed her eyes and concentrated, her hands on her temples, before the weapons were telekinetically lifted in the air before they shot out like bullets towards one large faction of wizards and vampires. Many felt the agony of being stabbed from spikes in the air before they died. Unfortunately, Pietro then suddenly found himself being grabbed by a black cloud of fog as one warlock completely snared the Misfit speedster.

"You mutant scum shall never - !" began the warlock, but he arched back and screamed as he disappeared into flames as Jean Grey plunged one of the Turok-Han's pole-arm into the warlock's back, saving the albino Misfit and causing him to be released from the warlock's hold. Quicksilver couldn't believe it.

Jean Grey killed a warlock to rescue him!

"Whoa! Since when did Miss Perfect get into Slayer-mode?" Pietro weakly quipped as he took the hand that Jean offered him and pulled the Misfit back up.

"First of all, you may be an ass, but that doesn't mean I want you dead…however loathed I am to admit it," Jean drawled with a roll of her eyes as she let loose the polearm she had in her possession with a wave of her hand and used her mutant powers to sent it flying into the head of one Turok-Han who was starting to get too close to their proximities.

"Why Perfect Jean, I didn't know you cared," Pietro sneered good-naturedly as he stuck out his tongue at the red-haired girl before dashing off with his super-speed, intent on continuing on making new chaos in the brawl.

Jean called out snidely, "Just remember that you owe me one…Pietro Jerk-Off!"

"**_HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT? I PAID GAMBIT AND MULTIPLE TO NOT BLAB IT OUT!_**" Quicksilver was heard screaming shrilly enough for the entire block to hear him.

"You didn't pay them enough! And it was Flash who told me that one!" the X-Girl shot back as she picked up another Turok-Han and flung it hard against the side of a house, breaking its body upon impact.

"Bola missile, away!" yelled Xander, copying the SWAT Kat gung-ho method perfectly as he held his right arm steady and fired from his glovatrix. Like clockwork and to the one-eyed adult's great satisfaction and joy, the Turok-Han was forced to drop its polearm as it cried out in rage at being tied up with unbreakable rope of diamond-fibers and adamantium coils, the very same lassos that Trinity had constructed. Bound with its arms lashed tightly to its sides, the Turok-Han was helpless to do anything as Giles took advantage of the moment of intervention and cleanly sliced the vampire's head cleanly off.

The Turok-Han disintegrated into dust. Giles gave Xander a deadpanned look as Xander grinned dumbly.

"I guess I'm not the one who needs to be careful, huh, G?" the dark-haired young adult bragged.

"Oh do shut up, and go help the X-Men with the police officers. I daresay that they could use the help much more than we could!" Giles said brusquely, clearly indicating that he was not in the mood for foolishness and banter, as he picked up the fallen vampire's polearm and used it to stab a passing-by warlock in the stomach, causing the wizard to scream and perish in a mess of flames.

Razor seemed to be in complete agreement as he nimbly avoided being stabbed and decapitated by two Turok-Hans' using a sword and an axe, calling out in between his gymnastic moves, "Xander, go! We'll be all right! Just help the other kittens! **Hee-ya!**"

The ex-SWAT Kat yowled this last word as he managed to do a one-handed cartwheel and solidly kicked the vampire directly in its head with a downward kick while Giles rushed in to block and distract the other undead soldier before it could attack Jake's back. Xander obediently took off.

Meanwhile, Cannonball was being besieged by several warlocks before one stray magic attack cast by an enchanter hit his gravitational shield, causing the young, brown-haired mutant to go flying off-course and crashing through the front door of a nearby house.

"Sammy!" gasped Tabitha before she made a plasma-bomb the size of basketball and hurled it at the warlocks, but it only managed to kill one of them before the other two shot several energy balls at the X-Girl.

"Boom-Boom, watch out!" screamed Dragonfly as she got in front of the X-Man.

The warlock, grinned, expecting Lina to die alongside her friend in her foolish sacrifice.

But what the enemy didn't expect was Dragonfly to immediately draw her wings and fold them in front of her body before the two blasts struck her insect-appendages, and there was a soft glow of multi-colored light before Lina threw her wings outward and hit the orbs of magic with her wings before returning them directly back at the magical foe, like a tennis player.

The warlock gave a final scream as the energy balls struck him and a stray Turok-Han in the background, causing the both of them to perish and collapse into ashes.

"What in the name of the dark kingdom?" yelled the first warlock who was witnessing this, and Lina grinned knowingly, immensely glad that her preparation worked.

"Willow enchanted my wings with a spell that reflects any magical attacks," the insect girl bragged, "A little thing we came up with while training at the Pit. Care to throw me another one? I'll have no problem returning it back to you in full."

Meanwhile, Sam found himself groggily coming back to consciousness before he found himself under the outraged and livid glares of a couple. Looking past the husband and wife, Cannonball realized that in his descent, he took out the entire front side of their house, leaving nothing more than a gaping, jagged hole of where the front door used to be.

"Uh…" Sam gulped before he gave a rather awkward smile, "Uh…sorry about your front door. Uh, heh-heh, bye! Have to go fight some warlocks and all the country-boy stuff!"

And before the husband and wife could even scream in surprise and rage, Cannonball rocketed out of the now ruined house before rushing directly towards the same warlock that attacked Boom-Boom, at killing speeds and with enough force to demolish a runaway train. Because Tabitha was so busy trying to fling multiple handfuls of marble-sized plasma-bombs at the dark wizard, his attention was too completely distracted by the X-Girl to even think about blinking. Which was exactly how Cannonball was able to catch the being unaware until it was too late…

"Hey, wizard-boy! Try blasting _this_ mutant!" Cannonball crowed in his Kentucky twang, and the warlock didn't even have a chance to scream as the mutant actually tore _through_ him. The entire upper-half of the dark spellcaster's body disappeared in a mass of flames and ashes before the warlock died, torn in half by the gravitational shield of Cannonball.

"All right, go Sammy!" cheered Boom-Boom, pumping her fist in the air before she created another glowing energy-sphere the size of a baseball and aimed directly at a group of three dark magicians as they kept vainly assaulting Iceman, Jubilee, and Forge with numerous lightning and energy spheres.

"And here's the pitch!" yelled Boom-Boom as she hurled the bomb, and with a bright flash of light, the three warlocks were sent flying, immediately ceasing their attacks. This enabled Forge to take the chance as he pulled an antimatter grenade from his pocket, and he pulled the pin before tossing it at the warlocks.

"Shield your eyes! This attack is gonna be far out!" Forge yelled in warning, and all three of the teenagers covered their eyes and turned their faces away as the grenade detonated. There was a short, unified scream instantly cut short as a bright, flash of white light enveloped the three warriors of Zankou.

"Whoa! The warlocks are gone! You killed them!" Iceman gasped as he saw nothing more than a mid-sized crater where the warlocks once stood, "What was that thing?"

"An antimatter bomb! I've been making these groovy explosives since they worked so well with the battle with Trigon!" the inventor proudly explained.

"But…but that wasn't magic!" Jubilee gasped, and the X-Men inventor smiled as he repeated something Giles and Wood taught him at the Institute.

"Number one rule about the laws of paranormal metaphysics, Jubes: _energy is energy, whether it comes from science or magic._"

"Awk! Let me help! Awk! I can use one of those suckers at the far side of these vampires, awk!" Polly, the green parrot of Shipwreck, crowed as he flew down and landed on Forge's shoulder. Forge nodded before he handed the parrot another antimatter grenade, and the intelligent parrot flew off with the bomb in his claws before he flew above another massive crowd of vampires that appeared to form out of thin air. Polly pulled the pin before he dropped in squarely upon the densest part of the faction, making sure it was clear of any of the humans or mutant allies.

"Bombs away, suckers!" Polly cackled as he flew off. The grenade exploded with a flash, taking with it over ten Turok-Han.

Meanwhile, Sunspot and Rogue were flying high above the masses, adding whatever attacks they could from their aerial positions, exactly like how they have practiced briefly in the Danger Room with the Slayers and the Misfits. Rogue was using her Telsa-barrier attachment of her glovatrix to shield Roberto from any energy balls and magical attacks thrown from the warlock army below. And thankfully, Willow and Giles studied the Tesla-barriers before determining that they would be adequate in deflecting paranormal energy (again, the thesis that energy is energy, whether it came from magic or science). With Rogue guarding his back, Sunspot was free to let loose as he continually flung short pulses of solar radiation, radiating furious mini-novas of orange and black sunspots and light. Gambit was below, trying his best to drive back several warlocks with his staff and his energy card. The Cajun managed to bash in the head of one unfortunate supernatural fiend before he used a five-card pronged attack to narrowly evade the magical attacks of the wizards before they killed two on impact, exploding and sending them in a mess of flames and ashes. Then the remaining warlock's eyes turned black before he summoned black Hellhounds, powerfully built from the fires of Lucifer and the flesh and blood of demons, out of thin air.

Gambit paled as five of the dogs appeared and charged.

"_Merde!_" Gambit cursed as he flung he cards, but thankfully, Rogue and Sunspot were able to swoop down and save their friend.

"Get away from him, ya' yahoo!" Rogue screamed as she sent a Hellhound flying with an uppercut.

"**Back!** Back, you dumb mutts!" Sunspot yelled threateningly as he shot a continuous stream of energy directly into the chest of one, barely having enough intensity to slow it down before the hound exploded and faded into thin air.

Undaunted, the warlock grinned as he summoned more and more canines from the underworld.

"This isn't good! Each time we destroy them, that wizard will just create more of them!" Sunspot groaned.

"Yeow! Remy wish we had that kind of power to fight with magic!" Gambit said as he flung an explosive card directly in the face of another Hellhound.

Then the Cajun suddenly had an idea click in his head.

"_Mon dieu!_" Gambit yelled as the thought registered before he yelled at Rogue who was busy trying to avoid the dark hounds, "_Chere_, you can steal powers and abilities, no? Then perhaps you can steal **magical powers** from these _hommes_!"

Rogue actually stopped and pondered it as Sunspot used a shot blast of his mutant powers to neutralize one hellhound before her face lit up.

"Now why didn't I think of that? Glad ta' see you finally have a brain underneath that empty head of yours, swamp-rat!" Rogue said in a rush as she dove down, hurriedly ripping the glove off her hand with her teeth, directly towards the warlock who was controlling the squad of Hellhounds. Too late, the warlock noticed Rogue as she grabbed his face, and both of them screamed as the transfers of magical abilities and powers were copied from the spellcaster to the mutant girl. Rogue's eyes went wide, showing nothing but a sea of black before she felt the contact was adequate enough and sent the foe flying back with a powerful kick.

"Hellhounds, get the Turok-Han and the warlocks! Leave my friends and the Slayers alone!" Rogue commanded, and like clockwork, the dogs of evil immediately listened to their new master as they set themselves on the army of the First and Zankou.

"Ewww…this is not 'PG' friendly," Roberto grimaced as the Hellhounds tore into the fellow dark magicians and Turok-Han, ripping them into pieces and howling with delight at killing their prey despite the screams and rages of protests from the very beings they were designed to follow and protect.

"Wow, absorbing magical stuff feels kinda weird…" confessed Rogue as she looked at her bare hands.

"Remy is just grateful that _cherie_ doesn't have a mirror around," Gambit said with a grimace at Rogue's black eyes.

Meanwhile, Low Light and Shipwreck were fighting alongside, with Low Light transforming his body into pure diamond, the hardest mineral known to man, almost exactly like Emma Frost. And each and every time a warlock or a Turok-Han tried getting close, Low Light simply tore into them with a flurry of punches and kicks as easily as ripping through wet paper. None of the blades and axe even managed to effectively chip the Joe sniper (not that he would even let them get close) and each and every one of the undead servants of the First that tried immediately received gaping holes in their chests and heads where Low Light stabbed his fingers and palms through. It was faintly satisfying to Cooper to feel how easily he could tear through the rough hides of the vampires and stab his fingers deep into their bodies, ripping out their internal organs (if vampires had any). Shipwreck was doing just as well as he continuously fired from his dual Eagle pistols, making sure that he wouldn't hit any of the Slayers of the mutant kids, the air filled with the sounds of bullets flying. And these weren't ordinary bullets either. Willow back at the Pit enchanted them with a spell that could potentially neutralize any black magic with a single hit, and Nightcrawler further added to them by sprinkling them with holy water. And they did this to Roadblock and Cover Girl's guns as well. And since Willow enchanted them and since they were being used to take out and kill evil, Piper's spell didn't affect them.

Meanwhile, Phoebe was helping out Wavedancer as the Misfit leader was using her ninja training to stab one warlock in the chest with her knife after she pummeled him painfully with a barrage of punches and kicks. Paige and Whitelighter were narrowly dodging attacks and fighting not too far from the distance alongside Bezerker and Cyclops as the X-Men field leader then let loose a powerful and devastating optic blast, moving down many Turok-Han at once as he swung his visor across the entire field in front of them.

"It's not enough! We can't face them one by one like this forever!" Phoebe gasped as she stabbed another warlock.

Althea remembered the training she and Cyclops and Kennedy went over in their tactics for fighting the proposed army in the Danger Room.

"If I had a huge water source, I might be able to! Phoebe, you're a witch! Can't you make some water for me? Storm's too busy to make it rain, and it'll take a while before I can accumulate enough to do the attack in mind!" Wavedancer said urgently as she delivered the heel of her boot into a Turok-Han's stomach before she sent it flying back with a powerful hitch-kick.

Phoebe thought for a brief instant before she voiced another spell.

"_Naiads, come out by one and two, help us see this battle through. Give us water from rivers, lakes, and streams, supply us a force to wash away this evil team!_"

To Althea's surprise, she was instantly surrounded by three young and beautiful women composed of the clearest waters, shining softly in the sunlight as they floated in the air and looking at the Wavedancer as if expecting her command. Phoebe yelled at the eldest Delgado sister, "Wavedancer, they're good nymphs! They're naiads, and I summoned them because they can provide you as much water as you need for your mutant powers! Think you know how much water to ask them for?"

"I think I can manage!" Althea said happily, encouraged and grateful for the help as she said, raising her arms over her head, saying with authoritative steel, "Girls, I need enough water to sweep away a good portion of those warlocks! Give me enough water to trap them into a gigantic ball!"

And with a smile, the naiads summoned a torrent of water from nowhere, twirling from the ground to the sky in w powerful waterspout, enough to fill a small reservoir, and Wavedancer hissed to herself in delight as she used half of the water source to trap and encapsulate over fifty warlocks and Turok-Han.

"Bezerker, do it now!" Wavedancer yelled, and the X-Man was eager to comply as he let loose a gigantic and furious surge of electricity at the sphere of water, a very excellent conductor for electricity. With a furious backlash of energy, all the wizards and vampires were electrocuted before they perished, leaving nothing but ashes as the water became so heated and surged with hot electricity that it exploded, splattering heated water everywhere.

Meanwhile, Paige was instructing a terrified Justin to successfully telekinetically orb like she was doing (and indeed, the Misfit, even during this crucial battle, was still have difficulty)…

"You have to focus and picture it, Justin!" Paige yelled with encouragement, "Not to mention you need to specify the attack you want to orb! Instead of something generic like 'energy attack' which could mean anything, try something more specific like 'energy ball' or 'lightning'! Just hold my hand! Don't be scared! Just picture the attack in your mind when you summon it!"

"Die witches!" snarled several warlocks as they struck, but the Charmed One and the Misfit acted at once in unison.

"Energy balls!" yelled Whitelighter and Paige together. And before Justin could even comprehend it, to his amazement, all the magical blasts disappeared before it could cremate them, only to spear in their hands, and likewise, both the woman and the boy threw their payloads back like tossing a baseball. The warlocks just screamed as they succumbed to their own attacks.

"Whoa!" gasped Justin, his eyes wide. Paige smiled.

"You're learning, Justin," she marveled.

Meanwhile, Kurt was tossing a powder from his bag he kept lashed to his side while whispering with a small object in his hands in front of the giant pillar of water that was still being held by the naiads and Althea in the middle of the war…

"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…**NOW WAVEDANCER!**"

With a powerful push, Wavedancer sent the waterspout high into the sky before the heavens above rained down with water, and to everyone's surprise, the heroes and witches were spared while the warlocks and Turok-Han were screaming, the liquid burning away at their skin and leaving messy flesh wounds, burns, and charred holes.

"What?" roared Kahn, his eyes bulging and murderously bloodshot as he witnessed this, "**Impossible!** Water doesn't hurt warlocks! We're above such manipulations of the elements!"

"But not _holy_ water," grinned Nightcrawler as he held up the gold crucifix between his thumb and forefinger and the bag of salt in his other hand for Kahn to view perfectly, "The Fathers back home taught me how to anoint it with the exorcism prayers in Germany."

Althea's grin grew even smugger than Kurt's as she clarified, "And if _this_ stuff can even hurt Trigon, a Demon Lord, it sure as heck can stop you and your men."

Meanwhile, at another part of the street…

"Mr. McCoy, look out!" Rona gasped as she and Vi got in front of Hank and blocked a stray energy ball with Telsa barriers…that were coming out of the Slayers' own glovatrixes.

"My word!" Beast marveled. Rona explained as she and Vi got out their weapons.

"Jake gave us these in case we needed the extra protection. He figured that me and Vi could use some additional stuff if the fighting got too intense! And we're not letting you fight alone, Mr. McCoy!" she said.

Hank nodded before he issued a command, "Vi, Rona, stay close to me then!"

"Hey, no fair! **I'm** the SWAT Kat fan! Why didn't **I** get a glovatrix?" Andrew whined in the background as Vi and Rona continued fighting for their lives alongside Beast. Rona snapped back impatiently as she plunged her wooden stake into a warlock's chest before he could incinerate her.

"Because we're not stupid enough to give you firearms! Now shut up and fight!" the African-American Slayer retorted before she delivered a right uppercut into another warlock's chin as she madly strafed to the side to avoid an energy projectile. Now a trio, Beast and the two Slayer girls stood as a three-pronged offensive team as the warlocks continued to besiege them. Beast used his fighting skills and his gymnastic abilities to punch and brawl with the warriors while Vi and Rona protected Beast's back, using the Telsa barriers to reflect many of the energy attacks back at their owners, and their knives and stakes were effective at stabbing excruciatingly if an opponent got too close.

Meanwhile, though some of the SFPD officers along with Inspector Sheridan were dutifully shooting at the warlocks and the vampire Neanderthals with their guns, most if not all of the S.W.A.T. teams and the federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security were attacking anyone not associated with the government or the city law enforcement on sight. And upon seeing so many of their fellow friends and co-workers perish under the magical attacks, claws, and fangs of the Turok-Han, most of the policemen and policewomen also turned their guns on the heroes from the Scoobies, G.I. Joe, and the mutants (despite heated screaming and protests from Sheridan and some of the other superior officers in the stand-off). Thankfully, all their gun's ammunition passed by the teens and adolescents harmlessly, regardless of how carefully the snipers and agents aimed and shot at them. Still, it didn't prevent the agents and officers from using their bazookas or charging at them with bullet-proof shields, batons, and tasers.

Thankfully, Shadowcat, Scarlet Witch, Nightcrawler, and Lockheed intervened with the multitude of federal agents with the missile launchers…

"Like Sic 'em, Lockheed!" yelled the X-Girl as she suddenly phased from the ground next to one very startled and very trigger-happy agent before she phased her fist through the electronic components and mechanisms of the high-tech missile launcher, shorting it out immediately before the man could activate it and fire.

"What the hell?" exclaimed the soldier from Homeland Security, "The mutie freak broke my bazooka!"

"Oh like shut up and check the attitude problem, jerkface!" Shadowcat snapped as she phased herself through the armored vehicles of the S.W.A.T. teams, running as fast as she could and not caring if she was phasing through people in the process (if her period of contact with a person in her phase mode was brief, it wouldn't leave any sort of injury). Many agents yelled with outrage and fuming gall when Shadowcat caused much of their electronic equipment and mechanical motors in all the armored trucks and vans to smoke and die instantly when she passed through. And every few cars she passed and phased though, Kitty also managed to graze her hands and fingers along any bazooka or missile launcher nearby, and soon, there was an obvious and erratic trail of dead machinery and ruined, non-functioning weapons.

As much as Piper's spells neutralized the bullets, Shadowcat wasn't going to take any chances on hoping that the spell did the same for airborne rockets packed with explosives.

And Lockheed was doing just as well with his attacks while Wanda was throwing and hurling blue-tinged hexbolts left and right, the air filled with short pulses of chaos-energy.

"Yow!" yelled an agent as the baby, purple dragon continued to dive-bomb her and her fellow enforcement workers, spewing fire on their heads (and in some cases, in their rear ends), "Somebody get that Barney reject off us!"

"Ow, ow, ow! **My shield!** That dumb lizard of those X-Freaks just melted my shield!" yelled a S.W.A.T. member as his bullet-proof shield was now being reduced to a soggy lump due to the extreme heat of Lockheed's dragon-fire. Lockheed just giggled (well, as much as a dragon could giggle) as he flew and easily evaded the attempts to club him by the livid men and women below. During this, Wanda was actually holding out on her own as she used her military training as well as her mutant powers to incapacitate the federal agents from attacking her and her friends physically. Any bazooka or high-powered weapons that Shadowcat had missed or been unable to reach were immediately rendered useless by a simple hex from the goth Misfit. Tasers, bazookas, missile launchers…Scarlet Witch didn't miss a single one, despite the brief time she had to survey the battlefield due to the fact that a group of the agents were still trying to attack her with their batons. Yet Pietro and Cover Girl intervened thankfully…

"Whoops, finders keepers, losers!" Quicksilver half-laughed with some wry amusement as he dashed in and out between the federal agents of Homeland Security and snatched away their batons and plastic-shields, leaving them with nothing to fight and attack with. And that was just fine with Cover Girl, Wood, and Roadblock as they attacked with their fighting skills.

"Will you creeps back off? We're from the _army_! We're good guys!" yelled Courtney as she delivered a swift kick into the stomach of an agent. Unfortunately, no one listened to her.

Xi was in a little trouble of his own as he was facing against several thugs from the Friends of Humanity alongside Leo (who somehow managed to arm himself with a baton he stole from an unconscious police officer). Toad rushed in to help, but then he felt a metal pipe take him by surprise and a pair of hands lopped it over his head from behind and press it against his throat before lifting the teenager off his feet so he could thrash and struggle his way out, leaving Toad to kick nothing but thin air. Todd dropped his staff as he choked and struggled, trying to get the man and anti-mutant bigot to stop strangling him.

"I got you now, freak!" spat the man as he pulled harder, and Toad gurgled, trying his best to prevent the iron bar from crushing his wind-pipe entirely, his legs up in the air and wildly kicking nothing.

"Toad!" screamed a familiar high-pitched voice, and before the FOH thug could even turn around, he felt something blunt and lightweight painfully clout him at the back of his skull, causing the man to see stars and drop his hostage. Feeling murderous, the anti-mutant bigot turned, the tire iron still in his hand, to see a meek and scared Andrew, still awkwardly holding his wooden staff.

It was Andrew that saved the Misfit and struck the henchman of Graydon Creed.

"You little punk!" snarled the brawny opponent, and Andrew felt incredibly daunted and intimidated, gulping. Even though the outcome of a fight doesn't necessarily depend on size and strength, Andrew was still apprehensive. But because the man's attention was focused on the Watcher-in-training, it allowed the amphibian mutant to quickly overcome his dizziness and deliver a satisfying back-kick right into his attacker's stomach, causing him to bowl over, his head lowered. Now eager to finish off his payback, Toad growled as he then did a jumping Nidan-geri kick, his first foot connecting into his enemy's stomach and his send kick hitting the man's face, breaking his nose upon contact and causing the bigot's head to crack back before toppling backwards, unconscious. Toad instinctively rubbed his sore and aching neck while Andrew picked up Toad's prized bo staff on the ground and held it out to him.

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly for his friend. Toad shakily smiled as he grasped his staff.

"Yeah…and thanks for the help, yo," Toad said. Andrew blushed. Toad then indicated to Xi who was still holding on strong with five men from all sides with his claws, teeth, and bo staff.

"C'mon, let's help Xi and even the odds!"

Andrew was still trembling as he quivered, whimpering, "I…I think I can be brave enough…but…"

Toad took the blond teen's hand firmly in encouragement, and though Andrew had no idea why, it was a little comforting and quelled his trepidation a bit. But it was Toad's next words that drove the point home.

"Anya died to save her friends and protect you. If you ever wanna make it up to her and make the others proud, you gotta return the favor! Remember what Blind Master taught you at the Pit dojo! You can do this, yo! I believe it, Xi believes it, and so does Blind Master! But we can't get scared now! Do you want more people to die?"

Andrew shook his head strongly.

"Then let's get 'em, yo! Time for you ta' pay it forward!" the Misfit exclaimed as he half-dragged Andrew towards the fracas, and together, the two charged, yelling while brandishing their wooden staffs and started to attack Leo and Xi's adversaries. Two men instantly succumbed to pain to Toad's leaps and kicks, and Andrew managed to successfully catch another FOH supporter unaware as he rammed the end of his staff into the man's sternum. Furious, the minuteman snarled as he swung his chain at Andrew's head and yelping, Andrew managed to block the metal flail with his staff while Toad took out Andrew's opponent from behind. And thanks to their intervention, Xi and Leo were quickly able to subdue his two remaining foes quickly and effectively.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard the Slayers, the X-Men, the Scoobies, the Misfits, the Charmed Ones, the Joes, and Batgirl fought, the horde just never did seem to lessen and cease.

If anything, the numbers of opponents seemed to remain the same, always large enough to be a threat and overwhelm the troupe of heroes.

"It's not enough!" Shannon panted as she bashed a warlock's head in with the blunt end of her crossbow before firing a shaft right into her opponent's chest, killing him instantly, "There's too many of them!"

"They must be distracting us for some reason!" Chao-Ahn cried out before she narrowly avoided getting stabbed by a vampire's sword before she delivered a sound kick into the Turok-Han's stomach followed a sweep-punch across the face and then embedded her axe into the enemy's skull.

"_Huh?_ What did she say?" Multiple asked, blinking, as he stopped and paused from firing a flash missile from his glovatrix at a small, approaching group of Turok-Han.

"She said she thinks that the warlocks and Turok-Han must be distracting us for some reason!" Blob bellowed loudly enough for half the crowd, translating the Cantonese into English, to hear as he grabbed another vampire with the head before snapping its neck, causing it to crumble into dust within seconds.

"Ooooh, okay!" Jamie said in understanding before he snapped back to attention and fired, causing his payload to painfully blind the vampires instantly as they howled and rubbed their eyes. Which gave Trinity the excellent opportunity to land down and pummel the group into submission with their martial skills. Piper was not in the battle; she was shakily trying to break the barrier Zankou placed over the house with her molecular combustion, only finding it ineffective. The spell was too strong and she couldn't get in to save her children.

Piper was absolutely distraught. She was so numb with grief that she didn't see or notice several Turok-Han approaching her from behind, ready to stab her. But someone thankfully did…

"GAIA…FIST OF THE BEAST KING!"

Piper gasped as the large energy attack struck the vampires and killed them instantly before a large, furry giant landed softly next to the eldest Halliwell witch. Piper recognized her savior immediately.

It was Leomon. And it was then that Piper abandoned all resolve and hope as she then reached out to the one last shred of hope that could save her sons.

"Leomon, if you're good, then help me, please! **_Please!_** Wyatt and Chris are in there! Zankou put a spell on the house! I can't get in!" Piper said, nearly giving in the urge to sob as she pointed at the shielded house.

The lion blinked.

"Please, get my kids! Please, I'm begging you! Save them!" Piper pleaded desperately, close to wailing. Leomon gave the Halliwell sister a look of concern, disbelief, and a general _je ne sais quoi_ expression of _you've-got-to-be-kidding-me_, all rolled into one priceless countenance. It was obvious that he was torn between humoring Piper and engaging himself into the battle with the warlocks and the vampires. After several seconds of tense hesitation in which Piper was about ready to scream at the Digimon, the swordsman acted.

"GAIA!" Leomon yelled as he took a flying leap towards the Halliwell Manor, aiming at the front of the second story of the manor, "FIST OF THE BEAST KING!"

With a mighty roar that sent shivers down the spines of the warlocks and even the Turok-Han themselves, the blast of earthly energy struck the barrier Zankou had cast all around the home of Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. There was a furious backlash of energy, causing the ground to slightly quake from the tremors as the heroes continued to fight for their lives and the lives of the civilians nearby. Then with a faint noise, the very part of the energy barrier that Leomon had struck disintegrated, leaving a hole large enough for Leomon to burrow and hack his way through the damaged foundation. Within seconds, the lion disappeared through the gaping, colossal, splintered hole of what used to be the front upper-window of the Victorian house. Indeed, the hole was so large that a quarter of the manor's roof was completely annihilated and even inside, Leomon was using all his strength with his sword as he hacked his way through the walls of wood and plaster, honing in on the very room where the two babes Wyatt and Chris were screaming their hearts out from the noise and chaos.

While Leomon was tearing and clawing his way through, Blackheart and Zankou were down below in the basement, homing in on the Nexus underneath the very roots of the foundation when they heard and felt the effects of the Digital warrior's attack on the premises. Since the roof of the underground chamber was a bit cramped, Blackheart was sitting cross-legged, Indian-style, with his arms crossed over his broad chest and the Heartless insignia, as calm and stoic as ever. Zankou felt a bit pressured with the apprehension he felt, especially when he was so close to his goal of harnessing the Shadow of the very Nexus itself. The warlock leader flipped through the pages of the Halliwells' Book of Shadows urgently as sweat of anticipation beaded his brow.

"**_Have you found it yet, Zankou?_**" Blackheart droned a bit emotionlessly, as if he didn't care one way or the other if Zankou managed to harness the Nexus or not. But then again, after seeing the strength of the Organization member, Zankou had no doubt that to the Heartless demon, the outcome of this made no difference to him.

The warlock king and nemesis to the Charmed Ones hissed poisonously, "I need to find the right spell, Blackheart! I have not been well acquainted enough with the sisters' Book of Shadows to know each and every charm and trick those cunts have in their tome of their ancestors! Give me time! But why aren't you up there fighting that damned lion? He could wreck all our meticulous planning if you let that animal run about in the house!"

Blackheart's eyes just gleamed, setting the dark basement in the unholy, soft luminescence of fresh, satanic fire, as he intoned with knowing satisfaction and reassuring ease, "**_Do not worry, warlock, and take all the time you need to ensure that the Halliwells do not regain their claim on the Nexus. I assure you that stopping one pitiful warlock from obtaining the powers of the Earth will be the farthest thing from Leomon's mind now that his so-called precious allies are endangered. And she will come soon…_**"

Zankou didn't bothered to ask who was the "she" Blackheart was referring to, but despite the anticipation of finally gaining infinite power and control over every Earth-bound living force connected to the soul of the planet's living essence, he was a bit curious as to how well the anonymous warrior would play out for the meddlesome heroes and the damned Wiccans.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Digimon was able to clearly hear the cries of the two children, howling and wailing for their mother and father at the other end of the house in the spare room next to Piper and Leo's room. Despite the tight squeeze through the wood-paneled hallway, Leomon bravely and forcefully pushed and hacked his way through, his bronze sword tearing the foundation and walls left and right, leaving nothing but gaping, splintered holes, broken knick-knacks, and deep claw marks in the carpet and wood.

If Piper wasn't more concerned about her sons' welfares, she would have been absolutely and murderously livid if she saw how Leomon was tearing up her second story.

Leomon managed to barge into the room where Chris was sobbing, sitting on his rump, and Wyatt was standing on his two feet, holding on to the barriers surrounding their beds, but the older baby instantly stopped when he spotted Leomon, his blue eyes going wide and his face frozen with confusion. Leomon went towards the bed, but then to the warrior's surprise, a blue-colored shield of translucent energy surrounded both Wyatt and Chris and Leomon let out a growl of surprise as the magical energy singed his claws. And he could sense it, the powerful supernatural force originating from the fair-haired child, the one named Wyatt, the eldest child of Whitelighter and witch blood.

"Damn it, kid! Let me through! You want to die here?" Leomon snapped harshly.

"No!" Wyatt yelled, frowning and displaying his mother's famous stubborn streak. Leomon felt his teeth clench tightly against each other in irritation. He really did not want to do this (and in retrospect, he had no idea why he was humoring Piper).

"Kid, I don't have time for this! _Let's go!_" rumbled the lion, his eyes glittering with annoyance. The shield still remained as Wyatt made a face at the intruder, clearly showing that he wasn't complying with the requests and making things a lot more difficult. And at this point, Leomon had to wonder if the Charmed Ones' children were even bigger pains in the ass than the X-Men, Misfits, and Joes combined.

Leomon then remembered the King's words echoing in his mind, once advising him, eons ago in the past, like a distant yet detailed memory…

_Leomon, **never** treat children as if they were stupid or dimwitted when in reality, they could be the most observant and understanding beings of any race, even when it doesn't seem apparent. If you want a child's trust, you have to talk with them as an equal and show that you don't mean them harm. They may be small, but I've never come across a little guy or gal who **doesn't** have good instincts. Kids are smarter than they look…_

It was so odd to recollect the person's voice…but not the speaker's face.

Leomon cursed mentally for having to do this, darkly thinking that his boss had better be right (he had his pride to think about). And to Chris and Wyatt's amazements, the lion knelt and laid down his sword in front of him, symbolically laying down his weapon for the two to see. Chris was still whimpering but Wyatt's eyes were shining, not with fear but with awe and surprise. Neither warlock nor enemy that had ever attacked his mother and his aunts ever humbled themselves like this before.

Wyatt looked at Leomon, his blue eyes wide and his face apprehensive, studying him. Leomon looked at the child before he growled softly, "I was sent by your mother. If you do not trust me…you and your brother will die. I give you my word that I shall not harm you, but you **must** trust me."

After several slow and agonizing moments, in which the lion was contemplating on abandoning all pretenses and trying to get the two sons of Piper by any force necessary, the azure shield around the two babes faded gently. Wyatt let out a child-like giggle as Leomon sheathed his sword, rushed over, and scooped the two up in his arms.

Meanwhile, outside, Piper just continued looking on, aghast with her hands to her mouth to stifle her sobs, thinking and picturing the absolute worst-case scenario. Wyatt and Chris could already be dead. They may have been taken hostage by Zankou and his warlock commanders. Leomon may not have even found them yet. He could be besieged by more of Zankou's followers that were clandestinely hiding in the manor…

Piper let out her breath in a rush as Leomon pounced back out of the house with Chris and Wyatt in his arms, landing gracefully on the grass of the manor's front lawn, and Piper was actually weeping with relief as she and Leo rushed over to the lion and took their baby sons from the broad, furry arms, but then Leomon's head snapped as he sensed something tear through the air up above them. But before he could grab the sword from his belt, the Halliwell sister acted first.

"Look out!" Piper screamed as she then flung a hand behind Leomon and used her powers to freeze the deadly stream of black fire before it could hit the Digimon directly in the back. Her temporal stasis abilities saved the swordsman's life. Piper then flicked her hand at the frozen stream before it exploded down to the molecular level, fading into miniscule fragments before vanishing and extinguishing entirely. And the act got everyone's attention as they fought the best they could while glancing up at the scene.

"Whoa! What the heck?" gasped Iceman as he froze a good portion of the street, stopping most of the targeted vampires and warlocks as he and his teammates looked at what Piper, Leo, and Leomon. There, in the sky, was a young woman, possibly just barely past her teenager years and around the age of nineteen or twenty. She had peach-colored skin, piercing blue eyes that were displaying a care-free attitude of amusement, and shoulder-length blond hair, trimmed short in a very stylish way. And to everyone's amazements, she was hovering in the air, flying of her own will. And to some of the Slayers and X-Girls' disgust, the youth was wearing a tight-fit white uniform that consisted of a somewhat revealing, long-sleeved top that displayed her cleavage and ample-bosom and a tight miniskirt that barely reached her knees along with matching, high-heeled boots. And there she remained suspended in the air, her arms crossed over her chest, frowning and yet smiling superiorly upon the crowd down below. And what was even more shocking was that this youth looked so much like…

"Kara?" gasped Batgirl as she let her arm holding her two Batarangs go limp and fall at her side.

"What in the name of the Great Beast?" cursed the lion-swordsman as he looked up the scene, truly taken aback.

"She looks just like Supergirl! Well…if not a _little_ cuter," Bezerker said with a slight grin of attraction, and the blond-haired stranger gave a slightly haughty sneer in response.

"Not quite, X-Geek," she said, "I'm her **clone**, and obviously a lot more perfect than the sorry original."

"Supergirl has a _clone_? Batgirl, why didn't you tell us?" X23 yelled in disbelief as she stabbed a Turok-Han with several furious butterfly punches, impaling it directly into the chest with her adamantium claws numerous times.

"I didn't know! This is the first time I've ever heard about it!" Batgirl gasped.

"Who are you? Why did you attack us?" Storm asked in a simmering and restrained voice as she remained above in the air after sending several blitzes of painful, jagged hail directly upon several warlocks. Lockheed and Polly both flew up alongside the weather-witch, their eyes narrowed and growling. They obviously didn't trust this stranger the least bit.

"Meh, I go by Tea and Power Girl, but you wimps can call me Galatea," the blond girl announced.

"Gee, not exactly modest, are you?" Magma muttered under her breath.

Xander said flatly, obviously showing some cynicism and his loyal admiration to the Justice League, "How about we just call you a Supergirl copycat-wannabe?"

"Xander," Jean Grey said with great frustration and annoyance, wishing that the one-eyed young man realized that it was usually not best to taunt an enemy with insults, "Word of advice: it is usually _not_ a good idea to piss off an enemy during a battle!"

"Uh…**is** she an enemy? Maybe she's here to help us…" Paige asked, a bit puzzled at this turn of events. Caridad then cursed in her native tongue as she spotted the symbol on Galatea's body.

"No she isn't! Look at her chest!" the Slayer cried, pointing up at Galatea.

There, in the middle of the blond girl's torso, was the black-and-red emblem of the modified heart crossed out with a thorny "X", proudly worn like a badge of courage for all to see. And every one of the heroes recognized it at once.

"Heartless! _Merde!_ That _femme_ is a Heartless! She was sent by the Thirteenth Order!" Remy exclaimed, drawing out five cards immediately in his hand and charging them with the familiar pink luster of kinetic energy, but his face was pale, not sure if five measly energy projectiles could do much against a girl with Supergirl's strength and invulnerability.

"Gee, and I thought you X-Men and Misfits were supposed to be the dumbest of this sorry group. Can't see why they see you wimps as threats," Galatea said in an amused and smug voice as she threw her hands up in the air, and the Heartless crest then began to shine, glimmering despite the sunlight before two large wings of black fire, flames that could have been born out of the darkest night and the purest obsidian gems, sprouted from her back, their wingspan greater than the combined length of five cross-town buses.

"Holy Jesus H. Christ!" swore Agent Keyes, nearly dropping his gun along with his jaw.

"What the heck?" another federal agent cursed from the rooftops with his useless sniper rifle, "_More_ freaks?"

"She's got wings like Supergirl does!" Wolverine bellowed as he sliced at another Turok-Han, the feral mutant's adamantium claws severing the neck, before the vampire precursor could spear him with its polearm.

"Except they're different!" yelled Vi as her Slayer senses went completely frantic, "We can sense it! That stuff's made of pure darkness! They're not ordinary fire wings!"

"Gee, like we couldn't figure _that_ one out already?" snapped back Cannonball sarcastically. But Willow and Batgirl's eyes lit up when they remembered the prophetic warning Leomon said in that day in the alley after he destroyed the Heartless that held Shannon captive.

"The angel with the wings of darkness…" gasped Barbara.

"Oh boy, not good. Darkness is bad, very bad! And I have to fight her! Oh boy, this is not good, not good, have to fight vampires, have to fight warlocks, have to fight Supergirl-clone with uber-powerful wings, have to protect friends, oh gee, oh gee, oh gee…!" Willow cried, carrying on in her trademark babbling nature. And Galatea wasn't even done as she expanded her winds wide, and like magic, portals of black fire and flames appeared out of thin air all over the street, showing fifty-odd familiar behemoths of black skin and muscled physiques and giant claws exactly like the one the Slayers and the Charmed Ones had faced so long ago in the alleyway…

"Heartless!" shouted Spirit as he readied his flame-thrower, and Shipwreck cursed, knowing that his dual Eagle-pistols weren't going to cut it against_ this_ army of behemoths.

"Great, just what we need! **Another** army for us to fight! And none of our additional back-up's showing up to help!" the Joe sailor cursed at the bad timing.

"Well, at least on the upside, we'll get to see if all that Danger Room and Joe training was worth it and if it helps us out on this fight against a _real_ Heartless," Sunspot weakly joked.

"At least we'll go down fighting!" Roadblock yelled, readying his machine gun at last, packed full with armor-piercing ammunition, "Heck, a chance to go all-out may be exciting!"

"Yes, but that when we faced only one! Facing a throng of these beasts is an entirely different matter altogether!" Beast exclaimed. Cyclops, however, was still trying to make sense of Galatea and the Heartless' appearance.

"But that's impossible!" Cyclops yelled in the meantime, "There's no way a clone of Supergirl can have the same wings as Supergirl! Supergirl got hers from the Phoenix Force!"

"Yeah, so wouldn't that mean that this Galatea also has - !" but Cannonball's blue eyes went wide as it came to him, instantly struck dumb and silent. Suddenly, the mystery of Supergirl's plight became very clear. And Storm and Jean Grey both arrived at the same conclusion as they turned to each other in horror.

"The Phoenix Force! Supergirl's coma was no accident!" Jean exclaimed.

Storm felt her face go clammy as she murmured, "Goddess, the Thirteenth Order! They must have inflicted Supergirl so that they could harness the power of the Phoenix Force through her clone! They must have stolen the power that Supergirl received from the Phoenix spirit when she and Batgirl bonded with it on Apokolips! Now they have the power of the firebird on _their_ side!"

"Uh, hello? Sorry that I have to cut the clichéd monologue between the good guys short, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill all of you now…" Galatea said lightheartedly, obviously not the least bit sorry as she swooped down from the skies, her black wings now making her the metaphorical Angel of Death.

**Author's Notes: Yep, the secret behind Supergirl's coma and the hidden trump card of the Cadmus and Hellfire Club has been revealed. And you KNOW it's going to get worse! Check back next Friday when things reach the climax, and not in the heroes favor! Can they save the city and indeed the Charmed Ones now with the Heartless and Galatea on the scene or is San Francisco doomed to perish forever under Blackheart? Find out in the excited second part of the battle, "Hellfire's Checkmate" and until then, read, review, and enjoy! I'll see you soon!**


	11. Hellfire’s Checkmate

**CHAPTER 11: Hellfire's Checkmate**

"Back off, you whore!" Jean and Scarlet Witch screamed in unison as Jean pushed back at Galatea with a fierce and crippling surge of telekinetic force, the air rippling between her and the clone of Supergirl. Galatea tried to evade it, but Jean's attack was actually too large and powerful for her to swerve, and the blond-haired enemy cried out as the gravitational push rammed her with as much power as a meteorite falling from orbit. With a brilliant flash, the angel struck the magical barrier that Zankou had placed throughout the Halliwell manor, and the energy seared her back before she fell limply to the floor. Galatea's eyes narrowed in fury as she picked herself up, the black fire wings now glowing even more.

"Nice one, you red-headed tramp. Now let me return the favor," she snarled before her eyes completely glowed black with energy and twin streams of darkness from the essence of the Phoenix Force flew out, a black version of Supergirl's fire-vision. Jean growled as she invoked her strongest telekinetic shield all around her, but she found out the hard way that it could never be hardy enough to block Power Girl's strength. With a furious flash and whirlwind of black flames, Jean flew backwards, screaming before she landed on her back, her body and uniform singed, but thankfully, she was still alive. But not for long as Tea rushed over to Jean with her super-speed and picked up the unconscious Jean roughly by the neck with one hand while her other made a fist.

"Guess you'll be able to live up to your nickname, huh, **Red**?" she chortled at the private joke as she was about to break Jean's body in two, but then something struck her from behind, at the sensitive spot behind her back in the lumbar region of her spine. Normally, Supergirl was usually invincible, but in this case, it was excruciating and she screamed as she released her hold on Jean, and miraculously, a telltale silver blur dashed by and grabbed Jean before she hit the floor. Tea looked down to see a Turok-Han's polearm had literally gouged through her midsection, stabbing through her entire body quite gruesomely. Growling, Galatea pulled the spear out of her body, her wound now healing instantly because of the powers the Organization had bequeathed to her. Looking up, she saw the Misfit, Quicksilver, holding a recovering Jean Grey in his arms, carrying her out of danger.

"You little - !" Tea growled, but that was all she could utter before a large and powerful hex struck her behind her back, and instantly, thanks to the chaos-magic, the wings flickered and vanished. Galatea was distraught and livid, even furious. She was temporarily powerless! She turned around to see a valiant Scarlet Witch and Professor Xavier behind her; it was Wanda's hex that de-powered the Phoenix wings inside Tea's soul.

"I am sorry, but I cannot allow you to hurt my students or any of the Misfits," Xavier said gravely as he then placed his fingers on his temple, and before Tea could even react, she was besieged by a tremendous and intensely excruciating telepathic attack, her mind being torn to pieces as Xavier did his best to shut her down.

"Get out of my head, Baldy!" Tea shrieked, clutching her head, and the presence of Professor X in the astral plane suddenly felt overwhelmed by the aura and might of an angry, homicidal, brutal, uncontrollable Phoenix Force as he was flung out of the clone's inner sanctum of her head, the fires of Hell and darkness converging on him. With a startled cry, Xavier gasped and woke back up in his own body, but before he could try again, Galatea rushed over and brutally grabbed him by the front of his shirt and suit before flinging him hard against the ground and out of his wheelchair. Xavier cried out in pain as he could taste blood in his mouth, his skull throbbing as Galatea placed a foot over his chest and started the press down, cracking his ribcage bit by bit.

"You know how much I hate having people inside my head?" Tea hissed with cruel and deadly promise, his teeth clenched and her red lips bared into a snarl. Xavier screamed in agony as she drove her heel harder, feeling a bone immediately break under the pressure.

"**_Get away from him!_**" Scarlet Witch screamed as she let loose a very powerful hex and blasted Tea from her blind spot, and with a grunt, Galatea was sent flying, only to land nimbly on her feet. Wanda's hands were crackling with blue energy, ready to send another hex. Galatea then tried to blast her, but with a wave of the goth's flingers, the streams from her fire vision struck past her, missing the target completely. Galatea shouldn't have been so surprised; after all, Scarlet Witch had been able to suppress the powers of even Darkseid himself back on Apokolips.

Wanda then grinned as she said, "Hey Henny-Penny, looks like you should have listened to Chicken Little after all."

"Huh? What the hell are you blabbering abou - ?" but then Galatea then noticed that a looming shadow was converging on her, growing bigger and bigger by the second. And it was coming from above. The clone of Supergirl looked up and cursed.

"Oh crap…" she trailed off, deadpanned, as the armored truck Willow telekinetically lifted with her magic collided on top of Galatea's head and slammed her with full violent and sadistic impact to the ground she was standing on.

WHAM!

"The sky's falling, bitch," Willow growled, her hair now white and her hands utilizing the forces of Wicca and the planet to help her press down on the steel-plated pancake crushing Galatea. Wanda and Piper rushed over to tend to Professor Xavier who was badly hurt, but thankfully still alive and did not gain anything truly life-threatening. Meanwhile, Jean groggily regained consciousness to clear her vision to discover she was staring directly into the eyes of Quicksilver.

"Ugh…" were the first words out of the X-Man's mouth. Pietro gave Jean a deadpanned look of disgust.

"If you were hoping that I'd wake you up with a kiss, I'm gonna tell you to keep dreaming, Princess Perfect," the Misfit sneered.

"You saved me?" blurted out a shocked Jean. The albino's smile grew even wider, smug but concerned.

"Hey, I owed you. Now, we're even. And the last thing I want is to owe a debt to Miss Princess Perfect," Quicksilver shot back, teasing. Jean was incredulous; it was hard to comprehend that Pietro was actually able to do any sort of damage to a alien girl who was practically invincible and invulnerable.

"How?" she managed to ask. Pietro gave her a condescending look.

"Hello, you're a physics teacher, remember?" he drawled, "Force is mass times acceleration, right? Well, take one Pietro, one polearm I found on the ground, all the momentum I got from circling around the city twice, and you got a blow that even Superman's gonna feel! And I know I've got the speed for it, among the dashing good looks and heroic talents, I might add."

"Oh, get bent," Jean shot back good-naturedly as she stood back on her own two feet. Meanwhile, Willow was trying to keep Galatea down while Piper looked to Scarlet Witch worriedly.

"Do you think she's dead? Did you kill her?" the Halliwell asked.

Wanda was better than to rely on false hope as she mused worriedly, "Well, since Galatea **is** a clone of Supergirl, she's probably made with Supergirl's DNA, and if we follow **that** logic, then she probably has Supergirl's powers, including - "

"AAARRRRGGGGHHH!" Galatea screamed as she broke out of the twisted sheet of metal flattening her, opening her wings of fire with a flourish and causing such a backlash of invisible force that Willow was sent hurtling backwards, "Okay, now I'm **_really_** pissed off! And you three will be the first ones I'm gonna tear limb from limb!"

"…_including_ her powers of super-strength and invulnerability," groaned Wanda with a grimace. Piper hurriedly stood up before she froze Galatea, stopping her in temporal stasis as time literally stopped on their enemy. This window of opportunity allowed Willow to attack right before Galatea unfroze and broke the time-freeze Piper had just cast.

"_Lepton fumor!_" the red-haired Wiccan chanted in Latin, and instantly, black and green clouds of poisonous and noxious smoke completely covered the alien soldier of the Heartless, but Galatea did not succumb to the gas of death as she erased it with a casual brush of her black wings.

"Let me try!" Piper shouted as she blasted Galatea's left wing with her molecular combustion, half-succeeding at causing some pain to the clone as the fire-appendage messily scattered before she chanted, "_Evil witch in my sight! Vanquish thyself, vanquish thy might, in this and every future life!_"

Galatea screamed as her entire body was plagued with short and painful bursts of white magic, sending the young woman to her knees, screaming and howling enough to wake the dead. Yet to Piper's growing horror, she realized that the spell wasn't enough to vanquish her. Galatea was still very much alive, and Leomon felt it was best to finish this as he rushed towards Galatea with his sword drawn.

"Uurrrraaaahhh!" yelled the Digimon as he brought the blade downwards on Tea's head, but with her fist, Galatea was able to block the lion's paw and grab it, the blade mere centimeters from her skull. With a grin, Galatea grabbed Leomon's paw and with a mighty judo throw, she hurled him high into the sky and sent him flying, only to crash into the second story of a nearby house.

"Leomon!" cried out Willow.

"Damn, she's strong!" Piper cursed as she looked at Power Girl before she, Scarlet Witch, and Jean struck at once with a combination of molecular combustion, hexbolts, and telekinesis. Leomon, off to the sidelines, managed to shakily extract himself from the splinted wood and ruined foundation of the house he just collided into, back-first. By the Great Beast, the one called Galatea was no mere Heartless. And he still had to fight the angel with the wings of darkness before she could kill anyone.

"Damn you, the things I suffer for your sake, your Majesty," Leomon cursed bitterly (though he truly did not mean anything spiteful and hateful by it) as he leapt out of the house and aimed a glowing fist at Galatea.

"GAIA FIST OF THE BEAST KING!"

Unfortunately, while Scarlet Witch, Willow, Professor Xavier, Jean, and Leomon were battling it all out with Galatea, the others were soon quickly discovering that the army of Heartless creatures that was sent by the Organization was very, very difficult (if not nigh impossible) to vanquish.

"Back off!" Bezerker snarled as he, Jubilee, and Boom-Boom combined their powers together, forming a powerful and devastating stream of electricity, explosive flashes of plasma, and powerful energy-bombs as large as bowling balls. United together, all three attacks formed a direct line and struck a Heartless giant right in the chest of its symbol, but it proved ineffective. Not only did the attack bounce off its tough hide, but it took all three of the New Mutants to barely stall one of the monsters of darkness as opposed to the other fifty-odd creatures charging with their claws ready.

"Oh geez, we can't even hurt 'em!" Ray cried out in horror as his head was buzzing from summoning the most powerful surge of electricity he could ever produce, "They're stronger than the Heartless we fought with H.I.V.E. and the Titans from before!"

"_Before?_ You've fought these things in the past?" Jubilee exclaimed in shock as she then tried using an indirect tactic before she let loose a particularly intense blast of light into one Heartless' eyes, blinding it and causing it to falter and cease in its march.

"Yeah, at the battle with Trigon! But these guys are a lot tougher to kill! We gotta back off or else we'll be trampled!" Boom-Boom yelled as she pulled at Bezerker and Jubilee's arms, trying to have them strategically retreat before the army of the Organization and Ansem could trample them. Suddenly, before the Heartless could come any nearer, a telltale tremor rent through the ground below before a section of the land miraculously lifted up and distracted the Heartless enough to prevent them from killing Ray, Jubilee, and Tabitha. The three teenagers turned to see Avalanche and an entire army of Multiple doppelgangers behind them in the distance.

"Go! Hurry! Run away while we keep 'em busy! Go!" Avalanche yelled. The X-Men nodded as they hurriedly retreated to safety with the Heartless unable to chase after them. One lone Heartless then took the initiative as it managed to leap high into the air before aiming itself at Lance, reading to crush him to death. But Cannonball took up the slack.

"Leave him alone, ya' windy-city greenhorn!" Cannonball roared as he rocketed towards the Heartless and actually collided with it in midair before it could land on its descent, using every bit of his strength in his mutation to ram the abomination and send it flying back into the mob. Jamie then commanded his fellow clones as they all readied their glovatrixes.

"**Fire everything!**" yelled the original Multiple as the army of over a hundred Jamie clones took careful aim with their glovatrixes and let loose a fantastic and colossal bombardment of every single projectile they could think off, the air soon filled with flying miniature missiles and projectiles. The Semtex missiles, the acid pellets, the bola missiles, the flash missiles, the slicer missiles, the smoke-bombs, the electro-missiles…_anything_ that was in the glovatrixes' cache, the Jamie-clones used. And unable to dodge them, the Heartless just roared as they took in the hits, their bodies littered with explosions and lethal metal shrapnel embedded in their skin. But the injuries were relatively minor as the Heartless did their best to carry on their objective to kill all the heroes and allies of the Charmed Ones. Several managed to surge forward despite the number of explosions that rained down on them, but the remaining faction of the Slayers along with the Joes, Spirit and Shipwreck, rushed forward to pick up the slack. Not that it did much good.

"Yeow! Our weapons can't hurt them! Even _with_ the stuff Willow put on them!" Dana gasped as she firmly embedded her knife into a Heartless' thigh, only to discover that she barely nicked it, and the brown-haired Slayer had to duck and back-flip backwards like a gymnast to avoid being clawed to death by a ferocious swipe. Thankfully, because its claw was so close to the ground, Spirit was able to cover for Dana as he let loose a furious burst of flame with his butane-flamethrower. The experiment of darkness shrieked piercingly enough to shatter glass as the butane rendered its hand and appendage into a shriveled and throbbing mass of bubbling, melting flesh.

"Keep behind me, young one!" Spirit yelled as he let loose another burst of flame at the Heartless' feet, covering Dana as she escaped to safety.

"Geez, we need more powerful magic to take them out with these weapons! It doesn't even faze them! They're even stronger than the last Heartless we fought before!" Kennedy cried out in partial dismay as her twin short-swords, doused in magical fire, just caused a few deep cuts, but nothing promising.

"At least bullets hurt them more!" Shipwreck yelled as he fired several rounds directly into a Heartless' head, causing it to shudder and quake with rage as it madly clawed in pain at its face, the skin peppered with bleeding holes and bullet-wounds. Thanks to the bullets embedded into its face, the creature was now blind and unable to see. Two other Heartless saw this and charged directly at the Joe sailor, but Hector wasn't the least bit intimidated as he held ground and fired repeatedly, the muscles in his arms and fingers throbbing from overuse. His Eagle pistols had never failed him before in battle, and thanks to Willow and Kurt's assistance, they were incredibly effective. And Shipwreck was a crack-shot.

The mouths of his guns were literally smoking as Shipwreck neatly and fearlessly emptied the entire clips of the Eagle pistols into the heads and faces of the approaching Heartless, and though they were not dead, both of the monsters faltered and one even fell to its hands and knees, the black fluid dripping from its torn face. The other Heartless was still murderously determined to make Shipwreck pay as it surged forward, but Storm swooped down from her position in the skies and hurled a huge blitz of searing lightning, causing the monster to stumble back.

"Shipwreck, watch out!" Ororo yelled as she kept summoning shafts of lightning to rain down upon the Heartless while Jamie and Avalanche kept a good portion of them at bay. Shipwreck grinned as he hurriedly and effectively reloaded his guns.

"Aw, I always knew you cared about my, Stormy!"

"Shut up, sailor!" Ororo snapped back, giving Shipwreck hardly a glance of irritation as she them summoned winds that rivaled the strengths and intensities of a hurricane to toss the Heartless back. The air was simply howling as the Heartless army was threatened to be lifted off its feet, but many of them managed to firmly keep themselves rooted to the ground. Bezerker got an idea as Storm then made it hail painfully upon the army of the Thirteenth Order.

"Storm, make it rain on the Heartless! If they're all in water, maybe we can electrocute them in one go! Hurry, make it rain on them!" Bezerker called out. Storm caught on to the idea as she raised her hands, her eyes glowing white, and immediately, the skies overhead were blocked with cloudy grey and black before lighting flashed and thunder roared loudly. And instantly, there was a downpour.

Torrents and torrents of hard water and rainfall completely bathed the entire army, flooding the ground below them and leaving the Heartless to splash around in puddles. The Heartless didn't seem to comprehend that each and every area of their bodies were dripping and slick with water, trying their best to charge the mutants, Slayers, and Joes. Which was perfect for Storm and Bezerker to strike…

"Now!" Ororo yelled as she and Bezerker let loose furious blasts of lightning and electricity, and like magic, the hot shafts of energy snaked throughout the Heartless, causing them to howl and roar as they were all electrocuted with electricity that could only measure in the thousands for voltage. Unfortunately, to the two X-Men consternation and shocked alarm, the Heartless, though smoking and slightly burned, were still all pretty much fully capable to continue fighting. The lightning did not affect them greatly.

"Yikes, you just made them madder!" Cannonball yelled as he rammed into another Heartless in the chest, preventing it from advancing towards Colossus and Boom-Boom, both X-Men combining their strengths to lob giant time-bombs the size of wrecking balls at several Heartless.

"Nice going, Ray!" shot Sunpot snidely as he blasted another Heartless from the sky with his radiation energy-pulses, searing it directly in the back before it could stomp on Avalanche and Multiple.

"Oh shut up!" snapped Bezerker as he let loose a round of electricity at a Heartless' head, "I don't see _you_ coming up with a plan! Let's see _you_ try something better, big-mouth!"

"Wait, there can be something we can try! Wavedancer, think we might be able to do a team-up attack? You know, the special one we used on Pietro one time?" Lance called out. Althea's mind snapped to full attention as she automatically remembered which one her teammate was referring to, and she nodded with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"Trying to kill me is hardly what I'd call '_special_'!" Quicksilver snapped, griping, as he ran in circles, trying to incapacitate one Heartless into a giant cyclone whirlwind, the momentum from his running actually managing to send the leviathan flying backwards and crashing into three other Heartless, sending all of them into a heap.

"Oh like you weren't asking for it when you booby-trapped the toilet-seats with toothpaste! Nightcrawler, port me and Avalanche to the far side of the Heartless army on their right! Your position, ten o-clock!" Wavedancer commanded to the blue-furred mutant after she snapped at Pietro. Kurt, though confused, acted immediately as he teleported to Lance first before then teleporting to Althea before finally taking both Misfits to the street, far off to the sidelines. The Heartless horde, still trying to overwhelm the armies and destroy their targets, were generally more of less all clustered together in a nice, lined group in front of them with a few spare Turok-Han and warlocks mingled in.

"Naiads, give me enough water to flood the entire street and make it a river!" Wavedancer yelled as she invoked all her might and willpower she could, raising her hands high above her head while Avalanche's eyes turned white as he laid his hands and palms flat on the black concrete as the ground started to bounce and quake like rubber before it was torn asunder with a mighty cracking roar. The three naiads twirled in the air before they summoned another gigantic waterspout from thin air, enough to flood and destroy the entire street in a fury of rapids, but Althea managed to maintain her hold on it as she and Avalanche attacked together.

"EATHQUAKE TSUNAMI!" yelled Wavedancer and Avalanche in unison. **(Author's Notes)**

To everyone's amazements, the ground trembled before it cracked open, a seismic fault in the middle of the street, before it traveled directly towards the Heartless, the ground crumbling and threatening to bury all of them up to their waists in a deep crevice while an actual wave of earth and rock formed overhead, large enough to overwhelm and crush an army. And with Althea's precision, the water magnificently split into a multitude of directions before two separate walls of clear water formed alongside the single wave of earth, pulsating and roaring madly and ready to wash away anything in its path. And in conjunction to the two separate tidal waves, the traveling crevice started to produce a furious and powerful trail of geysers. Each was a powerful waterspout of unhindered and highly pressurized eruption of clear liquid caused from the seismic energy of Lance and kept in precise guidance by Althea's hydrokinesis.

The Heartless didn't even have a chance until it was too late.

_Rumble, rumble, rumble!_

**_KA-FWWWOOOOOSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!_**

"_Mein Gott!_" Nightcrawler gasped in surprise and hope as the combined fury of the attack sent the Heartless flying backwards and off to the left side, away from the Halliwell residence.

"_Merde!_ And Quicksilver **lived** through that?" Gambit gasped, two playing cards limp in his hands as he just stopped and stared at the gathered heap of disoriented yet stable Heartless, now lying all tussled and grimy and wet, some with serious injuries. Althea and Lance's attack actually sent all fifty-odd Heartless flying and pushed them enough to give the allies to the Charmed Ones some breathing room.

"Unfortunately," Wanda muttered, overhearing this, as she hexed one of Galatea's fire-blasts before it could hit Willow. The Scooby then aimed another spell at Galatea before she could try to decapitate them with her fire wings.

"_Gelo glacialis obruo!_" Willow chanted again in Latin, trying to freeze her opponent as several snakes of ice appeared from her hands and flung themselves, hissing, at the blond-haired angel, encasing her within a block of artic, cold, death. Yet Galatea then broke free before snarling at Willow.

"You don't know when to quit, do you, you little cunt?" she snarled before she aimed her fire vision, not at Willow directly, but this time, at Kennedy and Leo, who was still holding Chris and Wyatt protectively.

"No!" Willow cried, and Jean used her telekinesis to shove Kennedy and Leo out of the way, but the blast still threw them back in a mess of flames and dark fire, sending them off their feet and to only crash into the ground. Kennedy was unhurt, but Leo had blood running down his face and dripping on his shirt.

"That was a low blow, you tramp!" yelled Jean as she and Xavier assaulted Tea in her mind again with a unified telepathic attack.

Amara then felt her heart drop as she pointed at the Heartless army Galatea brought with her.

"Uh…I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but we have a big problem! **_Look!_** The Heartless are still up and running! We didn't kill them! _None_ of them got destroyed!" the Nova Roma teenager exclaimed with warning. And indeed, what the girl said was true; after several shaky moments of dizziness and getting their bearings, the Heartless charged again, running and roaring with their claws ready.

"It still wasn't enough!" Blob yelled with worry as he killed another stray Turok-Han, "Those Heartless creeps still aren't dead! Not good! They took your best attack, and they still didn't get killed!"

"No way! You gotta be kidding me! We didn't wipe out a single one!" Althea gasped, her jaw dropping.

"At least you bought us some time to regroup and improvise, _femme_!" Gambit yelled as he and Colossus immediately rushed to a fallen police squad-car that was overturned in the battle when the SFPD were trying to capture the Halliwells. Gambit laid both of his hands on the underside of the car before it began to glow in a telltale pink luster, the potential energy turning into unstable amounts of bio-kinetic energy, explosive enough down to the molecular level.

"Colossus, it's all yours, _mon ami_!" Gambit yelled. Colossus grinned as he grabbed hold on the rear bumper of the car in his metal form, and using his strength, he swung the car around and around him, gaining momentum, before he released his bounty directly at the Heartless.

"Take this!" he yelled as the glowing and charged sedan struck the front of the stampede.

**_KA-WHHHOOOOOOOMMMM!_**

"Scratch one!" yelled Piotr as the leading Heartless who took the full brunt of the explosion fell and collapsed, lifeless and headless, its neck nothing more than a bloody stump of flesh and blood.

"Yeah, and leave about fifty more!" gulped Nightcrawler as the horde continued to make their headway through the streets.

"And these guys are immune to psychic lightning! They're resistant to all kinds of telepathy! We can't hurt them this way either!" cried out Daria, unusually distraught, as she, Quinn, and Brittany kept blitzing the Heartless with their trademark Delta Psychic Wave attacks, only to see that the abominations of darkness just shrugged them off, not even having a conscious mind to even sense the energy in their minds.

"I'd doubt they'd be immune to lava! And we need to prevent them from getting any closer! Avalanche, think you can tap a source of molten rock underground? I could really use it!" Magma yelled as she covered her body in flames instantly, going into her powered mode.

"I can try, but I need some time! And those Heartless guys are going to come right at us before I can even find anything!" Lance said as he began to feel though the land with his psychometry, his eyes white and his palms resting face-down on the black street, probing and sensing for any cache of molten rock.

"Oh no, they won't! Beast, I need a boost!" yelled Blind Master as he rushed forward to the Heartless army, his katana ready. Beast cupped his hands together and held his gargantuan paws low as a foothold for the ninja master to use in order to fly up in the air towards the head of one Heartless Goliath. There was a quick swipe with his sword…

_Fwwwsssshhh!_

The Heartless shuddered for a minute until Blind Master landed adroitly on his feet, away from the horde and waiting patiently until he could sense the severed head of the experiment he had just attacked detach from the rest of the creature's body. Beheaded by Blind Master's katana, the Heartless fell backwards and died. Caridad looked at Blind Master with awe and confusion.

"Hey, how come our weapons didn't work? Willow enchanted them too!" the Slayer protested.

"This is Japanese steel, young one," Blind Master answered gravely, "It is not like most metals…"

Meanwhile, Kitty was able to interfere before another Heartless could charge right into Beast…

"Oh no, you don't!" yelled Shadowcat as she phased the foot deep into the ground, leaving the Heartless stuck and stalling it immensely, "You are like not totally hurting my friends **this** time, you creep!"

"Beast, take this!" Forge yelled as he tossed Hank another antimatter bomb, "This thing will totally put these Heartless guys off their groove! Just attach it in between their shoulder blades on their back so that they can't reach for it and press the button to activate it! You'll have ten seconds to scram before the bomb goes far out and totally wastes it! And when I say scram, you better _really _scram!"

Beast nodded before he complied and followed Forge's directions, his agility and ape-like muscles allowing Hank to expertly and gracefully evade, leap, dodge, and roll before he madly scrambled onto the back of one Heartless and attached the bomb to its hide before he detonated it.

"Stars and garters, get clear!" Hank yelled as he galloped on all fours and made a mad dash for safety as the Heartless vainly did its best to remove the bomb. There was a bright flash before the upper body of the Heartless disappeared, leaving nothing more than a bloody stump above its waist and legs, perishing instantly as the antimatter sample Forge created inside the bomb consumed the flesh, blood, and air all around the Heartless.

"Lance, can you find it yet?" Magma asked insistently.

"It's still not enough though! Give me more time! Keep distracting them!"

"Don't worry, I brought back-up!" Razor crowed, and he revealed his hidden trump-card as he touched a control panel attached to the belt of his uniform. To everyone's surprise, a familiar red and black tank-submarine came roaring through, battering and tripping Heartless left and right before coming to a complete stop in front of the kat of the X-Men.

"All right!" yelled Multiple as he cheered, "We got the Aquain on our side! Heartless, prepare to eat lead and missiles!"

Razor yelled as he opened the hatch, "Xander, Beast, I need you both to help me utilize the turrets and guns on the Aquain while I navigate it around the battle! Think you kats are up for it?"

"Are you kidding? The chance to use a weapon of mass destruction without any supervision and a chance to go completely whoop-ass on an army of giant experiments? Ash from the '_Army of Darkness_' movies got nothing on this glorified brick layer! Let's kick some Heartless rear!" Xander cheered.

"Awkwardly and uncouthly put, but agreeable nonetheless," Hank admitted ruefully with a smile as he picked up Xander under the crook of one burly arm and leapt and clambered skillfully and adroitly up to the hatch of the X-Men's tank-submarine.

The Watcher-in-training, Andrew, was less than happy as he whined loudly to Jake, "Hey, no fair! **I'm** the SWAT Kats fan! Why can't I go in the Aquain?"

"Because I daresay that it would be incredibly unwise on our parts to entrust the safety of our allies and the firepower of a massive weapon of an armored vehicle to your hands, Mr. Wells, so stop arguing and continue with your post while we do our job!" Beast called back as politely as he could as he closed the hatch behind himself after Jake and Xander entered safely inside.

"In other words: **shut up and fight, you geek!**" Dana snapped at Andrew as she plunged her knife into a Turok-Han's belly before expertly and swiftly drawing it back out in a circular-overhead motion before driving the blade deep into the back of the vampire's bowed head. And with that, Razor drove the Aquain through each and all heavy parts of the fight, taking care to not run over any allies or innocent bystanders while Xander utilized the tank turret and Beast stationed the secondary guns of the vehicle. And from the numerous times the tank kept firing destructive payloads and the whoops and hollers of fun and glee from inside the tank as it passed by, it was safe to assume that Xander was having the time of his life in the Aquain.

"What are you **waiting** for?" Magma demanded impatiently at Lance as she continued hurling fireballs at one Heartless.

"I gotta be careful!" Lance said heatedly as he continued terra-forming, "If I strike too fast, I might cause a gas pipeline to fracture and explode and it'll take out half-the block if I do that! I gotta form it just right…!"

With a gasp, Lance sensed it. A deep well full of molten rock, about half a mile deep, and his managed to finally tunnel a way to it from the Earth's crust.

"Magma, do it now! I found it! Let the Heartless have it!" and with that, the X-Girl obliged as she summoned a geyser of lava to erupt from deep below within the Earth, and with a snarl of rage, she manipulated the lava to snake and douse a good number of the army of darkness with molten rock, searing them instantly and covering them with inescapable and unbearable liquid, sticking to their hides painfully. And it was through this that the Heartless backed off, afraid to get closer to the lava and held at bay for a while at least.

Meanwhile, Gambit and the Slayer, Shannon, were fighting another part of the Heartless army side by side…

"Here, _cherie_!" Gambit said as he charged the head of the crossbow shaft with one finger, and instantly, the pointed metal end of the arrow glowed with a pink luster, building up to an explosive level. Shannon took aim and fired directly into the eye of the Heartless.

Ka-whoom!

The giant experiment shrieked in a voice that could never belong to any human as the kinetic arrow lodged into its eye-socket and exploded upon contact, messily leaving a gaping hole. Gambit then took up the slack as he charged another arrow on the Slayer's crossbow before he took out an entire pack of playing cards. With a united front, both the Slayer and the X-Man let loose. The Heartless now had multiple burns on its chest, and a arrow embedded into its left eye socket, now a charred and messy hole. Yet it continued to blitz the mutants and the Slayers until Althea managed to trap two of them in a gigantic water spout.

"Iceman, freeze them now!" Althea yelled, and the X-Man hurriedly complied as he shot out a stream of blue, artic energy at the base of the waterspout. Jubilee then acted as she shot out a burst of plasma, powerful enough to blast through reinforced steel, and with a mighty crack, the ice pillar crumbled, and with it, the bodies of the two Heartless, now rendered into frozen pieces.

"Gambit, I've got an idea!" Paige yelled, "But I need you to charge each and every one of those ice chunks, as many as you can all at once! _Hurry!_"

Gambit obliged as he brushed his hands against the pile of shattered ice, and within an instant, each and every piece began to glow.

"Ice chunks!" Paige yelled, using her telekinetic orbing before she pointed at a group of three Heartless, ordering strongly, "Rainfall!"

The Heartless howled as the kinetically-charged ice began to fall upon them, peppering them with numerous explosions.

Meanwhile, back with the Turok-Han and the warlocks, the fight was still just as intense. Dragonfly screamed as a Turok-Han managed to catch her unaware behind her and grabbed her roughly before sinking its fangs into her neck. She would be dead in several seconds…

"Lina!" screamed Blob and Whitelighter as they rushed towards her, but at their distance, they would never make it to her in time. But thankfully, someone else did…

"_Damn you!_" screamed a familiar voice in Cantonese.

The Turok-Han released its hold on Lina's neck and screamed before its head was cleanly decapitated off by an axe, and it crumbled and disintegrated into dust. Lina gasped with a mixture of pain and shock, crying softly and holding the deep bite wound to her neck, but still alive and conscious. Whitelighter laid a hand on her injury, healing her. Blob took Dragonfly by the shoulders.

"Are you all right?" he asked, knowing he could never forgive himself if anything happened to Dragonfly. Lina nodded, whimpering, as Justin finished healing her, but the insect-girl turned around to see that her savior was none other than Chao-Ahn, still holding her flaming axe. It was the Chinese girl who struck the vampire and saved the Misfit's life. Fred gratefully turned to the Slayer with much thankfulness and appreciation; he was in her debt.

"Thank you…I…I couldn't…" Blob began in Cantonese, but Chao-Ahn shook her head as she helped Lina up.

"I know how important she is to you, Fred," Chao-Ahn answered back softly in Chinese.

"You…Chao-Ahn, you saved me," Lina whispered shakily, starting to cry. Chao-Ahn just smiled, wiping a few strands of loose hair from her forehead.

"You Fred's friend," the Slayer answered back, not in her mother tongue, but in broken and heavily accented _English_. Apparently, her lessons with Shannon, Caridad, and Wood were effective. Lina felt so ashamed of how jealously she gave the Chinese Slayer the cold shoulder while she was training at the Pit.

"Thank you," Lina whispered. Chao-Ahn smiled back, not understanding it, but she could guess it correctly enough.

"I'm not sure what you just said, but you're welcome, I think," the Slayer replied back in Cantonese.

Meanwhile, Jubilee and Iceman continued to fight back-to-back against the Turok-Han and warlocks, united again as fellow X-Men.

"Back off, you creeps!" Iceman snapped as he formed jagged and sharp icicles in thin air before he used his mutant powers to send them flying, and despite the warlocks' best efforts, they couldn't blink out of the way thanks to Phoebe's spell. Many perished instantly, screaming, as the pointed ice-shafts struck and plowed into their chests, heads, and torsos.

"But there's still too many!" Jubilee gasped as she let loose a furious blob of explosive, multicolored plasma at another Turok-Han, "And we can't fight these guys and the Heartless at the same time!"

"At least on the upside, the Heartless made the cops and the Friends of Humanity rioters take off!" Forge exclaimed, hearing this.

Cyclops' strategic and organized mind then realized that they couldn't survive if they had to split yet again to handle another faction of the enemy, and considering that the Heartless were the bigger and more vicious if not difficult threats, the Turok-Han and the army of Zankou had to be dealt with immediately. And Cyclops then decided to take the biggest risk he ever so rarely depended on.

In fact, the only time he did it was when they had to face Juggernaut at the dam so many years ago…

"Everyone, get clear! This should be enough to wipe out all the Turok-Han at once! Get everyone out of there!" Cyclops heatedly yelled in his communicator. Taking the teenager's word for it, every ally rushed past him as fast as they could, instantly changing tactics as they charged towards the Heartless.

"I just checked the battlefield twice! I just got everyone else out of there! Everything in front of you is a bad guy! Do your stuff, Summers!" Quicksilver then appeared instantly next to the X-Men field-leader with Xi and Andrew in tow while Nightcrawler teleported with Toad out of danger and beside the Misfit speedster. Cyclops nodded before he ripped off his visor symbolically as Kurt gasped.

"_Mein Gott!_ Scott, be careful of everyone around us!" The German X-Man exclaimed with foresight. Andrew was confused.

"Huh? What's going on?" the blond teenager asked, puzzled.

Xi gulped as he answered, "Cyclops is going to let loose! Stay back!"

And with those words of warning, all five boys could only gape as Scott opened his eyes as wide as he could and internally summoned all of the power he could feel in his body, his eyes now throbbing as the ruby-colored solar energy pulsed through uncontrollably through his head.

Instantly, a wide beam of solar energy escaped from Cyclops' eyes and spread out like a tidal wave towards the vampires and black wizards, not giving them a chance to fight back as they were instantly mowed down and obliterated before everyone's eyes.

Several houses took some structural, exterior damage, but years and years of training in the Danger Room had given Cyclops ample experience to ensure that his optic blasts would only be focused on the spellcasters and the Neanderthal vampires plaguing the street. And upon seeing to his satisfaction that the current area his powers were aimed at was now devoid, Cyclops slowly turned his gaze and let the beams of destructive energy travel and spread to the other convoluted and crowded masses of the enemy, wiping them out at once as well.

And within minutes…there was nothing left of the warlocks and the Turok-Han except piles and piles of ashes and the charred, blackened remains of a street and some damaged (yet thankfully unoccupied) houses. Cyclops screamed in pain as he closed his eyes and felt the whiplash of excruciating agony and protest as he tried to suppress the coursing energy struggling to escape. He fell to his knees as Andrew, Kurt, Pietro, Todd, and Xi rushed to his side, worried, but after several and tense moments of severe aching, the pressure stopped and Cyclops panted before he placed the visor back over his eyes again. His head was still buzzing, but at least he managed to keep his power under control.

Toad patted Cyclops' back as he and Xi helped him shakily rise and said, "Yo, you did good, Cyclops! They're all gone! You wasted **all** of the warlocks and Turok-Han, yo! That was so cool!"

Cyclops shook his head, partially to clear the cobwebs but also to disagree as he wheezed out hoarsely, "But I shouldn't have done that. The Professor warned me against a risk. I could have easily lost control and not have been able to stop it, Toad."

Xi gave him a dry look as he said with compassion, "Cyclops, you're forgetting who you're talking to. What matters is that you did what you wanted to do in order to save everyone. We deal with issues of self-control every day. You're not the only one."

Cyclops understood the intention behind that statement, and he grinned wryly at the lizard Misfit, "But unlike _you_ maniacs, I don't ignore and abandon those issues."

"Meh, self-control's over-rated, Summers," sneered Pietro as he and the others, including Cyclops, charged towards the Heartless.

"Crap, I'm running out of ammo! My glovatrix is empty!" gasped Multiple in the background as the Aquain drove by him, firing a plasma-torpedo directly into the body of a nearby giant.

"And I'm on my last arrow!" Shannon wailed additionally, but Phoebe then voiced another spell, coming through.

"_Arrows, bullets, missiles, ammunition for heroic tries! With this spell, I prevent this hell, refill their empty supply!_" and to everyone's amazements, their guns, their glovatrixes, and Shannon's quiver were magically refilled with a loaded and fresh supply of ammo and shafts.

"All right, thanks Phoebe!" cheered Jamie as he let loose again, forming new clones.

Meanwhile, Roberto was flying above the battlefield, hoping to find something he could use to help out his friends when he spotted Inspector Sheridan and her other fellow officers, hiding behind a line of several armored trucks as they fired upon the Heartless with their guns.

"Hey, you're that Inspector Sheridan chick! The same one that mentioned you in the news report!" Sunspot exclaimed as he flew down.

The blond haired woman was anything but friendly as she said with aloof and cold suspicion, "And what exactly do you want, X-Man?"

"We can protect you guys from the Heartless! But I need to use one of those armored cars that the S.W.A.T. team brought!" Roberto said with some irritation as he pointed at one of the fallen vehicles that Shadowcat had phased through earlier.

"We don't need your help, you mutie-freak!" snapped one officer, but Sheridan held up a hand and stopped the policeman's tirade before she nodded.

"As much as I am against vigilante assistance, take what you need and leave us respectable officers alone!"

Roberto bit his tongue and complied as he lifted up one of the armored trucks high above his head and took off with it, flying high into the air towards Blob who was currently engaged in battle with a Heartless as the monster clawed at his stomach.

"Yeow!" Blob yelped as he winced, "Invulnerable skin or not, that still hurt, you jerk!"

With a yell, Blob grabbed hold of the clawed hand and jerked hard with all of the superhuman strength he could possibly muster, and with a sickening ripping noise, the left arm of the Heartless popped right out of the shoulder joint. The creature howled in pain as it looked down at the messy stub, strands of nerve fibers and muscle hanging grotesquely from the gaping, bleeding hole. Which was exactly how Blob was able to catch it by surprise as he then used the arm as a makeshift club and tripped it hard, striking right behind the Heartless' knees, a weak point in any opponent's leg. And with the Heartless lying on its back, it allowed Sunspot to move in, in his radiation mode and diving downwards while carrying the armored car in his hands with his strength.

"Special delivery for the Heartless! You just won the grand prize of a armored truck to the head!" the Brazilian X-Man shouted with exuberant glee as he brought down the car as hard as he could.

WHAM!

The Heartless now had its head pinned firmly to the ground thanks to the metal vehicle embedded securely into the pavement on top of it. And as it struggled and writhed, Batgirl took out an explosive Batarang from her utility belt as Sunspot and Blob got out of her path.

"Get clear!" she yelled as she hurled the Batarang at the car's gas-tank, and there was a furious explosion before the Heartless' head was gruesomely and sadistically destroyed. Then Batgirl took out her Bat-grappler before she fired a line at another nearby Heartless, and to the monster's surprise, it felt the snare and hook loop around its neck before tightening like a noose, preventing it from moving forward.

"Rogue, Sunspot, catch!" Batgirl yelled as she tossed the Bat-Grappler to the two flying mutants above her head. Both Rogue and Sunpot pulled hard at the unbreakable line, and the Heartless gurgled faintly as it was jerked off the ground, unable to gain any leverage, which was exactly how Forge was able to take it out using his last antimatter bomb.

"And scratch another Heartless!" Rogue cheered as the Heartless perished.

At the interim, Willow finally had enough as Galatea tried to incinerate Scarlet Witch and Leomon again…

"Uh…uh…oh screw it!" Willow cursed before she tossed caution to the winds and chanted rather improperly and unsuitably, "**Ancient Spirits of the Guardians, Pan and Elohim, my Latin sucks but I need a magic spell strong enough to waste this bitch! Channel anything to send her packing!**"

There was a faint rumbling before meteors began to rain down from the sky, and to everyone's amazement, they all fell directly towards Galatea, but the alien clone was not allowing herself to leave herself wide open for that tactic as she flew up, her wings outstretched, and blasted each and every one of the rocks from the sky before they could strike her, burning them into nothing but ash and dust. Then Galatea swooped down directly towards Willow, screaming, "Die!"

Willow gasped, unable to run as the fire wings approached her body, but there was a blur as a furry figure dashed by and grabbed Willow before the clone's wings could sear and slice her in half. The Scooby looked up to find herself in the arms of a protective Leomon.

"Leomon!" Willow cried as she held on tightly to the lion holding her, still numb with horror and fear that she was literally inches away from death. Leomon rumbled softly as he set the Scooby on the ground along with his sword which he laid down flat.

"I said that you would not fight alone, Willow."

The red-haired witch of the Slayers was strangely touched the strange and wary soldier had remembered and kept his promise that he said back in the alley so long ago.

At the same time, in another part of the battlefield…

"Naiads, I need more water!" Althea said urgently.

Suddenly, there was a flash of searing energy as a bolt of black lightning tore through the air and struck all three of the naiads in the back, and screaming in pain, the water-nymphs evaporated into steam, dying instantly to Wavedancer's horror.

"No!" Althea looked on in helpless fury as she whirled around to see Kahn, the warlock who was second-in-command and Zankou's most trusted war-chieftain, smiling with unfeeling satisfaction. The dark-skinned male witch apparently had to remorse for killing the naiads. Then Kahn snarled before he let loose another round of paranormal energy, but ninja-reflexes springing instantly, the hydrokinetic madly flipped to the side, the magic rushing by her by less than an inch and striking two warlocks by accident, killing them instantly. Growling, Althea took out three steel shuriken from her belt and flung them with a subtle flick of her wrist at the necromancer. But Kahn just raised a hand before the ninja stars could hit him, and with a flash, they stopped in mid-air and fell lifelessly to the concrete before it could even hurt him.

"Hmph, you're good for a mortal woman, mutant-spawn," Kahn growled as he kept trying to incinerate the Misfit, but Althea kept managing to strafe, sidestep, and spring out of each and every shot aimed at her specifically, her reflexes making her a difficult target to hit. Thankfully for Wavedancer, several of her allies blitzed Kahn from all sides instantly…

"And you'll find that we're **better**, bub!" snarled Wolverine as he, Faith, Phoebe, Giles, Cover Girl and Low Light rushed at the warlock chieftain. Cover Girl yelled at Wavedancer before she charged.

"Wavedancer, go! Don't worry about us! Just help the others stop the Heartless horde!" she commanded before she took careful aim with her rifle and fired at every clear shot she could. The Misfit leader nodded before she took off. Kahn was unafraid as he raised a hand and sent the bullets flying back with his magic, and by sheer bad luck, one struck Cover Girl painfully, lodging in the join between her shoulder bone and her arm, causing the female Joe to fall to her side, wounded.

"You missed," Kahn retorted smugly as Cover Girl kept whimpering, holding her bleeding and injured shoulder. Giles and Phoebe snarled as they swiped at Kahn with their swords, but the warlock chief easily evaded them, as nimble as a cat. Then Faith and Wolverine continued to barrage the dark necromancer with a furious assault of punches and kicks, but with another wave of his hand, Kahn sent all four of them flying, screaming as the black magic coursed through their bodies and set each and every one of their nerves aflame with excruciating agony. Low Light then transformed into pure diamond before he grabbed Kahn from behind.

"That's enough, butthead!" the Joe sniper growled, but viciously, Kahn broke free from the hold on his body before his hands glowed with a dark, shadowy luster before the warlock turned and plunged his hands into Low Light's abdomen, causing the man to scream in pain as the wizard's hands magically tore it his flesh and organs from within. Low Light tried to sunfish and extract himself out of Kahn's reach, but he was so overcome with the anguish and torture of the magic ravaging inside his body that he fell and toppled to his back, weakened, his lungs burning as if they were on fire. Kahn sneered as his hands traveled up to Low Light's heart and took a firm hold, ready to crush it with one, quick, brutal squeeze.

_Bang!_

Kahn's body jerked, his eyes wide before they became lifeless and glassy, and Low Light, despite the pain, was now able to see that the warlock's forehead had a messy and gruesome exit-wound where the bullet flew out. A magically-enhanced silver bullet doused with holy water had entered into the back of Kahn's skull and managed to gouge through his head before it went completely through. Low Light saw Kahn's body topple to the side lifelessly to reveal an injured yet determined Cover Girl, holding her rifle with her uninjured arm and pointing the mouth of her weapon where the warlock used to be positioned.

It was she who had saved the sniper's life.

"Didn't miss **that** time, did I, you ass?" Cover Girl boasted with scornful contempt at Kahn's corpse before the warlock chieftain and Zankou's second-in-command finally perished in a mess of flames and ashes, snuffed completely from this mortal coil.

"I got him," Whitelighter whimpered as he ran over and laid a glowing hand on Low Light's chest, healing the wounds he received from Kahn. Cover Girl exhaled with relief before she shot the sniper a dirty yet good-intentioned look.

"Cooper, if you ever do that to me, again…I'm going to kill you," she threatened, smiling wickedly, as she gave Low Light a playful punch on his shoulder. The blond-haired man winced as he felt his pain lessen under the soothing light of Justin's healing.

"I think I'd rather take my chances with the warlocks, Courtney," he joked before grimacing from the ache.

Meanwhile, Roadblock was being pinned down by a Heartless, one claw holding the Joe soldier down to the ground similar to the manner where a cat pins down a mouse underneath its paw, ready to eat its prey. And Wood was desperate to stop this as he witnessed this from the distance.

"Damn it!" Wood yelled as he looked around wildly, his mind trying to formulate a plan out of anything, praying he could find something that would work before it was too late. Suddenly, he felt himself be gently held up by none other than Piotr as he transformed into his metal mode.

"Another Fastball Special, comrade?" the Russian X-Man asked, grinning, and Wood nodded before he suddenly felt himself being hurled accurately towards the very back of the Heartless' neck, the same abomination that was ready to kill Roadblock. Wood struck his sword out and as he collided into the Heartless' skull, the Watcher drove the sword entirely into the soft nape of the monster's neck. The Heartless' roars died in its throat before it went lax and shuddered. Then ,unsteadily, it toppled and pitched forward, falling on top of Roadblock, but miraculously, the Joe was unharmed and safe from being crushed by the heavy body thanks to a certain mutant girl…

"Are you, like, okay, Roadblock?" Shadowcat asked worriedly as she phased the Joe soldier out from underneath the corpse of the Heartless. The machine-gunner nodded before he turned to Wood with a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Wood," Roadblock said as he reloaded his gun with a new sash of magically-enhanced bullets, and the African-American Watcher returned a beam in kind.

"I'm surprised that you nearly got yourself killed, cause I thought you Joes in battle had more of an iron will," Wood rhymed easily. Marvin gave his childhood friend a deadpanned grimace of exasperation as he aimed the mouth of his gun at the head of an approaching Heartless.

"You've been hanging around me far too long, Robin," Roadblock grumbled good-naturedly as he let loose a continuous stream of metal shrapnel.

Meanwhile, inside the Halliwell Manor, Zankou had finally located the spell for him to release the Nexus, and to his immense glee and euphoric anticipation, the warlock's chanting finally awakened the holy and pure essence of the living force of Nature itself. The basement floor cracked and ripped asunder as a stream of living aura, shadowy and ethereal, but the warlock could sense it. Unlimited power! The wisdom and knowledge and might of eons and eons of the force of the planet itself! He could very well be a god with these powers!

And it was all his, and his alone.

The embodiment of the Nexus began to build and swirl all around the goateed wizard of dark magic and evil as he finished the last rites of the spell, and he knew the Nexus would have no choice but to listen and merge with him. He carried the Book of Shadows, and his word must be obeyed by the rules of the sacred tome he held in his hands. It wouldn't be long now…

"…_natum adai necral daya intay layok_!" Zankou chanted with a triumphant flourish, the spell ending as the Nexus roared, and Zankou's eyes went wide with successful exhilaration, joyous at the rapture.

"Yes!" he cried, dropping the Book of Shadows as the Nexus swirled all around his body, "The Nexus! The power! It is now - !"

Then Zankou's speech was drastically cut short as he jerked, his eyes widening as he looked down to see Blackheart's claw protruding out of his stomach where the demon stabbed him, dealing with a fatal wound from behind. Zankou felt the blood pool out of his mouth and dripping down his chin as he gasped, his lungs managing a final question in the throes of his death.

"Why? I…I thought you said….the Nexus would be m…ine…." He rasped hoarsely before he perished in flames. Blackheart's eyes gleamed as the Nexus then bonded with _him_ instead.

"**_I lied_**," Blackheart said coolly.

Meanwhile, outside, the battle with the Heartless was slowly becoming dire as Galatea managed to blast back most of her opponents away from her as the Heartless still managed to fully surround the Slayers, the Scoobies, the Joes, the X-Men, the Misfits, and the Charmed Ones, all of the humans weakened and fatigued, unable to continue much further. Leomon then knew that he had no choice…

"Your Majesty…please…**give me strength!**" the Digimon bellowed as he let loose his ultimate attack, his hidden trump card for emergencies and battles that were far too out of hand, one that not even Blackheart had known about.

"**_GAIA!_**" yelled Leomon, praying with all of his vigor and vitality, "**_HUNDRED KING FIST!_**"

"Holy crap!" Inspector Sheridan gasped as she saw the humanoid lion raise his fist in the air, and instead of one gigantic ball of _ki_ energy forming into the shape of a roaring lion's head, this time, a hundred streams of lesser yet powerful versions of the Fist of the Beast King attacks flew out and homed in on every Heartless and villain on the streets. So now, instead of one attack, Leomon had summoned multiple attacks that spread out like wildfire. And not a single creature sent by the Organization escaped its fury.

"AAAAAAA!" screamed Galatea as she shielded herself with her fire wings as over forty roaring energy lions struck her, but thankfully for her sake, she was able to fend them off barely the Heartless were not as fortunate as they screamed before each and every _ki_ blast struck and wiped them out entirely.

"Whoa! What happened?" Tabitha gasped at the scene.

"It's Leomon! He wiped out the entire Heartless army with one hit! He saved us!" Xi gasped, his jaw dropping. When the attack subsided, Leomon, groaning, collapsed, landing on all fours, but he managed to gently release his hold on Willow, and the red-haired witch stood by him, worried and vexed.

"You saved us," Willow murmured, as if finally understanding despite her apprehension, "You saved all of us…we wouldn't have even survived."

"Leomon, are you all right?" gasped Piper. Leomon shook his head as he panted.

"No…I shouldn't have done that…I…used all my strength and energy in that last attack," the swordsman gasped, seriously innervated. Suddenly, to everyone's shock, the ground underneath their feet began to tremble and quake madly before the Halliwell manor exploded with a furious discharge of wood and stone and glass, completely demolished.

"Our house!" Phoebe cried out, but the Victorian home of the Charmed Ones was instantly forgotten as Blackheart slowly and methodically rose from the ground, levitating from the powers of the Nexus and darkness now flowing through him freely in each and every fiber of his body.

"What the heck?" Wood bellowed upon seeing the unfamiliar black demon.

"This is not good!" Xander gasped as he, Razor, and Beast looked on from their position in the Aquain.

A heavily-injured Leo actually began to weep in loss, holding Wyatt and a limp Chris in his arms, sobbing, "The Nexus…"

Galatea managed to sneer at the heroes, smug and conceited, "You're too late, chumps! The Nexus is ours now!"

The Halliwells immediately acted as they joined hands and voiced the spell again to banish the Suxen as Blackheart rose higher and higher in the air, the skies immediately darkening with the power of the Shadow as the sun eclipsed within minutes, bathing the entire city in darkness. The winds began to howl and flare, streams of darkness and black aura radiating all around the heroes and the spectators could only cry and watch helplessly at the servant of the Organization in the sky as he summoned more and more of the darkness within him and the Nexus to cover and blanket the entire city.

"Goddess, I can feel it!" Storm gasped, "Whatever that thing is, it actually has enough power to destroy the entire city! Not even I can produce hurricanes and storms this powerful!"

The Charmed Ones then chanted, "_From ancient time, this power came for all to have and none to remain. Take it now, show no mercy, for this power can no longer be!_"

There was only a general silence as Blackheart raised his arms, outstretched and invoking the intensities of the Nexus to ravage and desolate the entire metropolis of San Francisco.

Blackheart crowed, "**_Yes! The power, the fates and forces and whims of Nature and the planet…all of it ours! Behold, Superior and Ansem! The Heartless shall be glorified by the power of the Nexus! This planet and these worlds hereafter shall be yours!_**"

"I don't think the spell worked, yo!" Toad gasped at the witches.

"Try again with another one!" Piper yelled as she joined hands with Phoebe and Paige, and all three of them began to chant another past enchantment.

"_Prudence, Patricia, Penelope, Melinda…_" Piper chanted.

"_Astrid, Helena, Laura and Grace…_" Phoebe chanted.

"_Halliwell witches, stand strong beside us…_" Paige finished.

Altogether, the sister chanted as their hands clenched hard against each other's palms as they intoned, "**_Banish this evil from time and space!_**"

The winds only howled louder and louder as several buildings all around them began to crumble and were ripped apart, bit by bit as trees were uprooted and the waters of the Bay turned brown and muddy with filth and death.

"Try another one!" Professor Xavier yelled over the din.

"I think I know of one that might work, but I need a piece of string or some sort of thread!" Phoebe yelled as the winds now ripped at their bodies, making it difficult to see and move as the air turned frigid, rivaling that of the artic temperatures in the artic regions while the streets and roads everywhere along the city began to crack and collapse under the force Blackheart was summoning.

"Here, use this! Hurry before we're all screwed!" Brittany exclaimed as she ripped a loose purple thread from her battle uniform and handed it to Phoebe who clasped it gratefully. With she, Piper, and Paige holding the fragile thread between their respective thumbs and forefingers, they invoked another spell from memory of the past.

"_I take your hands in mine, and with this string, we will entwine! Your powers we'll forever bind, from now until the end of time!_"

"It's still not working! That bastard's too powerful!" yelled Low Light.

"_The Power of Three will set us free, The Power of Three will set us free, The Power of Three will set us free…_" tried the sisters again, but even they knew it was hopeless. If nothing from the past worked, then there was no chance anything they could think up of now on a whim could save them and pull though.

"It's too powerful! We can't erase and banish the Nexus! Whatever the demon is, he's not like all the other demons we've fought before! The Nexus won't listen to the laws of Wicca now! It can't be destroyed!" Piper cried over the howling winds. Then Andrew perked up, remembering what he, Toad, and Xi did while spending time at the Institute so long ago.

"Wait, what about **_suppressing_** the Nexus? It won't banish it or destroy it, but at least it will save the city!" the blond Watcher-in-training suggested.

"Huh? How would that be any different?" Vi asked, flabbergasted.

"I remember reading it from one of Willow's magic books! It's one of the laws of magic: _never use extremes_! If you don't have enough power for one objective for a spell, always try using a lesser objective that can be within your power limits but can practically achieve the same thing! So if we can't _destroy_ the Nexus, maybe we can at least _contain_ it for the time being!"

The Golden Gate Bridge in the distance began to quake and creak madly, threatening to buckle and break, and with it, all the cars and innocents trapped on it.

"**_Take this world, my Lords!_**" bellowed Blackheart from above.

"You've been reading my magic books?" growled Willow, "**_My_** magic books and not just the books Giles and Wood have been instructing you with?"

"Er…" Andrew gulped, realizing that he put his foot in his mouth.

"But we don't have a spell in the Book of Shadows to suppress the Nexus!" Phoebe tried to explain.

"That's not a problem! We came up with one! When Toad, Andrew, and I were at the Institute, we figured you could use one for back-up in case anything went wrong!" Xi yelled over the destruction happening everywhere. Rogue regarded the lizard mutant strangely.

"I was wonderin' what you three yahoos were doing in the study, scribbling on paper…" Rogue muttered, recalling that one incident.

"What was the spell? And for that matter, how did you come up with one?"

Andrew, Toad, and Xi looked at each other before they clasped hands and chanted from their memory, the hours and labor they spent on creating their pride and joy of a makeshift incantation.

"_Darkness and Light, dusk and dawn. Heroes battle and carry on. Mutant and mortal, Wiccan and Slayer, evil lessens with this prayer. Hand in hand, heart and soul. Blessed be, set us free, power of good, we extol!_"

Nothing happened, and Dana looked at Andrew disdainfully.

"Well **that** was certainly helpful!" she snapped sarcastically. But Willow then gasped as she thought about it.

"No, Andrew's on to something! The spell **can** work! It just needs a powerful boost from all of us! Yes, us witches could try to cast it, but the spell they created needs the presence of Slayers and mutants and humans along with witches to invoke the magic through the words. It can work, but it needs just more than witches to do it!"

Leomon then reached out and rested his paw on Andrew's shoulder, saying strongly, "Lead them well, then. Teach all of us the spell, or millions here shall perish! Do it now, kid!"

"Professor!" Xi yelled to the leader and founder of the X-Men, "Use your telepathy to send the words of the spell we created to _everyone_! We **all** need to do this! **_We have to say the spell together!_**"

"You've got to be kidding me!" grimaced Low Light, "Fighting demons and stuff I can handle, but saying poetry in hoping in does something magical? That's a little too far-fetched if you ask me!"

"We don't have any choice! Either we do this or we all get blown away to Kingdom Come!" Cover Girl yelled.

"Then let us try…together!" Xavier encouraged as he telepathically sent the words to everyone he could. As one, each and every one of them held hands with anyone they could, regardless of their ally being human, mutant, witch, or Slayer as they recited and chanted the makeshift spell together, a symbol of their unity, their voices growing in volume and harmony despite the howling storm of the shadow of the Nexus.

"_Darkness and Light, dusk and dawn…_"

The winds continued to howl.

"_Heroes battle and carry on…_"

Blackheart frowned as he felt a slight disturbance…

"_Mutant and mortal, Wiccan and Slayer…_"

"Hey, what's happening?" yelled Galatea in outrage as she flew alongside Blackheart, realizing that the winds were slowly decreasing in ferocity and destructive savageness…

"_Evil lessens with this prayer…_"

"**_No!_**" yelled Blackheart as the power began to flicker, like a candle threatening to be extinguished in the wind…

"_Hand in hand, heart and soul…_"

The sun began to penetrate the darkened skies of death, and the eclipse, to everyone's shock and rising hope, disappeared as the skies began to turn back to their crystal blue along with the waters of the bay becoming clean again…

"_Blessed be…_"

"**_AAAAAAA!_**" howled Blackheart in pain as the luminosity surrounding the Heartless insignia on his chest began to wane as the Nexus aura and magic began to seep backwards and withdraw back into Blackheart's body, the pressure of the buildup of so much Gaia magic threatening to rip the demon apart…

"_Set us free…_"

"**_Damn you!_**" Blackheart roared to the heavens above as the Nexus almost fully vanished as the sun began to bathe the city in a peaceful warmth of serenity once again…

"…**_power of good, we extol!_**"

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_**" Blackheart howled as the Nexus was fully contained in his own body, and in the throes of agony, Blackheart lost his control as he plummeted from the sky and crashed into the ground below, managing to survive but in such agony and excruciating torture from having the magic that bonded with him being fully forced back into his soul. And everyone looked up, surprised and grateful to see that it had worked.

"I don't believe it!" Shipwreck gasped, "It worked! The spell Toad, Xi, and Andrew created actually worked!"

Kurt made a face as he admitted, "It _is_ a scary thought when you think about it."

"Just be grateful, _mon ami_," Gambit said, his heart still beating madly, "Remy just thankful that it didn't end up going the other way."

"Misfits, X-Men!" yelled a familiar voice, and they all turned to see General Hawk appearing next to them along with the Justice League and the Teen Titans, arriving to help at last.

"What kept you?" Spirit drawled.

Hawk explained, "There was a barrier cast all around the city, and none of us could get in. We were just about ready to try to reach you by digging underneath the barricade when we saw that big black thing in the sky nearly destroy the city, but then it just seemed to vanish all of a sudden! And I had to go to D.C. to get the higher powers' authorization to stop the Department of Homeland Security from ruining things! The Joes I brought along should keep the crowds at bay for now."

"Good, that'll be one less thing to worry about for now," Spirit sighed with relief.

"What the hell happened here?" gaped Flash, surveying the wrecked street, "It's looks like the floodgates of Hell had opened here or something!"

"Trust me, you'd never believe us if we told you," groaned Batgirl. But before any more commentary could be made, Leo's frantic voice rang out with heavy grief.

"Piper, get help, please! Chris is dying! He's not breathing!" Leo hollered, and the heroes turned to see that the husband of Piper was telling to truth, much to their horror and dismay. Leo was cradling a prone and burned body of his second son in his arms, broken and at a loss. The one-year old was limp and had extensive burns and injuries all over his face and hands, a result from Galatea's rampage on the fight. Piper looked completely loss before she gently took Chris in her arms and called out urgently, nearly screaming.

"Sandra! Sandra, please! Help us, please!" the woman screamed, and thankfully, with a flash of lights, the female Elder appeared.

"Sandra, heal Chris, please! He's dying! I can't feel his heartbeat! Oh Sandra, please, for the love of God, heal my son!" Piper wailed. Surely she could heal a babe. Surely she would listen and help.

Yet to Piper's horror, Sandra's eyes were misty with tears and remorse as she shook her head.

"Elder Gideon won't allow it. He made it final…oh, Piper, I would if I could, but I cannot break the vow of the Elder of Elders," she confessed.

"No…" Phoebe gasped as Piper shook, trembling with a mixture of sorrow and helpless rage.

"Then break it, please! He's my son, my baby! **_Please, damn you, save him!_**" Piper wailed, screaming hysterically.

Sandra now had tears running down her cheeks as she said, "Forgive me, but I can't. I can't break Gideon's authority over me…oh, Piper."

But the eldest Halliwell sister was inconsolable as she just sank to her knees and cradled her slowly dying Chris to her face, now bawling uncontrollably as she held her son's body to her face, burying her tears into his cracked and brunt cadaver. The body was already beginning to grow cold and stiff with rigor mortis.

"Why can't you heal him? You're a Whitelighter Elder! You're supposed to bloody **_help_** witches!" demanded Giles angrily, furious at the suffering of the child and its mother.

Hawk then answered gravely, "Because all Whitelighters have to obey and listen to the will of the Elders. And Gideon is the Elder of Elders. A Whitelighter's healing powers can only be invoked if the Elders allow it, otherwise, if the Council or a representative of the Council chooses to not bless a person to be healed, then they can't be healed, no matter how much other Whitelighters try. Even if the Whitelighter tries to heal Chris, they wouldn't be able to because their healing abilities would be nullified for that one victim. And all Whitelighter's magic stems from the Elders' Council. No Whitelighter can heal if the Elders do not allow it."

"You mean…if Gideon doesn't want any of the Elders to heal…they have to listen to him?" Wanda whispered in horror, her eyes wide and her face pale.

"_Mein Gott!_ That's barbaric! You're letting a child suffer for no reason!" Kurt growled, aghast and horrified.

Colossus turned to Lina, asking, "Dragonfly, what about you? You are a trained medic! Can't you do something? Anything? This is a child's life!"

But the female insect-Misfit shook her head helplessly, her face displaying pure loss as she cried softly, "It won't do any good. I can't use my silk to heal burns that badly, and I've never trained to perform injuries on a toddler! A Joe soldier is one thing, but a child is something Lifeline never showed me how to deal with! I can't help Chris! I don't even know _how_ to! And Lifeline is one a mission with Sergeant Slaughter in Russia, so we can't take Chris to the Pit to be healed!"

"And no one in the Justice League can heal as well as a Whitelighter, Piper. I am truly sorry," Batman said, his face grim.

"Oh, oh, oh!" sobbed Piper as she just buried her head into Chris' body, and she was so busy crying, she didn't notice a telltale warmth of light nor the gasps of shock and bewilderment being made all around her as she kept crying. But then…

Chris, her second son, her baby in her arms, took a loud gasp of breath and wailed.

Piper, though her tears looked up to see Chris still wailing, but now being brought out of danger from his mortal injuries, with a glowing hand resting on his forehead. She looked up to see she was staring at the hand of the Misfit named Whitelighter. The one she loathed because he was the son of Elder Gideon.

Justin was healing Chris.

"I think he'll be all right now," Justin said softly, compassionately as he finished. Chris let out another soft wail as his skin became whole and anew, each and every trace of his injuries erased.

"No way!" gasped X23, "You can bring back people from the dead?"

"No, Chris wasn't dead…he was just on the _brink_ of death. No one can bring back the dead," Justin answered hesitantly.

"Oh…Chris!" choked Piper, bawling again, as she held her youngest son close to her body and Leo and Wyatt held them both close, the four of them incredibly relieved and harrowed after the brush of losing one of their own. Paige was sobbing uncontrollably with relief, and Phoebe wiped her eyes. Blind Master, though a bit rueful, smiled as he rubbed his son's back with one hand.

"I'm proud of you," he said. Sandra the Elder was absolutely flabbergasted as she stared at the Misfit.

"But…but how?" Sandra asked, beside herself in disbelief, "It's impossible! No Whitelighter of the coven can ever disobey the Elders' laws and will! And Gideon is the Elder of Elders! How can this be possible? No Whitelighter can heal a being if the Elders will not allow it!"

Justin still looked a little perplexed, but then he realized why as he then averted his gaze slightly with some pain from the Whitelighter Elder, saying softly, "That's because I'm not a real Whitelighter, ma'am."

Sandra then looked a bit sorry when she caught on as well, wishing she didn't just thoughtlessly blurt it out.

"Uh…did anyone else get what just happened?" Bezerker asked, obviously lost. But Razor shushed the X-teen gently so that he wouldn't interrupt.

"It's obviously private, Bezerker, so don't ask them about it until they're ready," the kat explained, understanding.

"Thank you," choked Leo as he looked up from hugging Piper, Wyatt, and Chris, his voice hoarse and his eyes wet but grateful. Justin smiled and nodded once. Piper couldn't even bear looking up at Justin.

She was so ashamed.

Meanwhile, the other heroes were looking on at Tea and Blackheart in shock.

"Kara?" exclaimed Superman in shock upon seeing the look-alike with black wings, but Multiple and Iceman shook their heads in warning.

"No, it's not her! It's her _clone_! **_Supergirl has a clone!_** Her name is Galatea, and she works for the bad guys! She's a Heartless!" Jamie cried.

"The Organization created her so that she could steal a piece of the Phoenix Force that was inside Supergirl," Bobby explained in a rush, and despite the fast-paced wording, the seven members of the Justice League understood at once and grew grim. Superman was speechless.

"So she is this dreaded experiment the Charmed Ones told you about?" Martian Manhunter asked Batman, "Is she the foreseen Experiment 666?"

Batgirl then spoke in a voice quite unlike her own normal timbre, but haunted, ghostlike, and eerily foreboding and empty, like a cold breeze blowing though an abandoned graveyard.

"_No, she is not Experiment 666. The Beast of Perfection will come at the Gathering. The Experiment to come is something far more sinister and deadly…_"

Everyone turned to the red-haired, masked vigilante, shocked at her sudden words, and Jean and Xavier and J'onn were quick to note that her mind had suddenly become impenetrable, almost empty.

"Huh? Batgirl, **what** did you say?" Caridad gasped, her jaw dropping. Batgirl blinked before her blue eyes lost their sudden, cloudy look.

"What did I _what_ say?" Batgirl asked, suddenly noticing that everyone, including Batman, was staring at her.

"You just said something about Galatea and how she wasn't this Experiment 666!" Paige said, a bit heated and impatient at the sudden veering off an important clue, "How did you know that?"

Batgirl looked incredibly confused and bewildered at the sudden attention drawn upon her as she weakly protested, "You guys! I didn't say anything! **I swear!**"

"Uh, hello? We _just heard_ you! You just said something about Experiment 666 being more deadly several seconds ago and how it was supposed to come at a gathering!" Xander protested.

"I don't remember saying it!" Batgirl gasped, shocked at what people were telling her. Batman's eyes narrowed as he regarded the crowd questioning his protégé.

"**Leave it**," he said with honed steel, and noticing the defensive and protective look from the Dark Knight of Gotham himself, everyone dropped the inquisition gracefully. While the other Teen Titans were ready to attack the black demon that nearly destroyed San Francisco, Raven recognized the spiky mane and the telltale Heartless symbol on his chest anywhere.

"You!" snarled Raven, very nearly giving in to her anger and loss of self-control upon the sight of the familiar enemy who was recovering from having the Nexus cease and become forcefully suppressed in his body.

"You know this guy, Rae?" Cyborg blinked, holding out his sonic cannon at the lone target.

"That's because that's Blackheart. He's the one who helped Brother Blood commit the wedding ceremony in Azarath that nearly killed me. He's the demon who works for the Thirteenth Order," Raven fumed, trying her best to calm down.

The Titans, the X-Men, and the Misfits whirled angrily at the hulking, shadow-skinned giant, remembering the pain, suffering and stress they had to endure because of their meddling and bringing of Trigon into their dimension. The Slayers and Scoobies remained quiet, but they knew enough to know that Blackheart was, in all aspects of the word, a scheming, manipulative rat from Hell.

"Blackheart?" yelled Rogue, snarling as she made a fist, "That big, black yahoo is **_Blackheart_**?"

"And he's a Heartless!" Vi pointed out as she looked at the familiar insignia on the demon's chest, but Rogue hardly cared as she rolled up her sleeves.

"Like it makes much of a difference! I've been itchin' to punch this jerk's lights out from here to Kingdom Come for what he did to Raven in Azarath!" the Southern belle growled murderously. But Leomon stopped her by holding out a paw.

"_Don't attack him_," Leomon commanded, and there was a touch of dire warning and urgency in his tone, "If you value your life, Rogue, for the sake of the Great Beast, do **not** attack him. If you could not stand up to me, then you'll certainly get killed if you try going against him. And as annoying as you are, I don't want you dead, kid."

Rogue glared at the lion; she wasn't so sure if she should have been insulted or moved by that last sentence.

"He is powerful," remarked Xavier as he frowned, incredibly bothered that he could not even sense Blackheart at all with his telepathy, "I cannot even probe his mind. It is far more shielded than the ones on Magneto and Juggernaut put together."

The servant of the Organization then managed to pop his head up as he stared long and hard at the troupe of heroes in front of him.

"**_Very clever, you fools…_**" hissed Blackheart, his eyes glowing murderously, "**_Combining the souls of all different races in the spell to suppress me._**"

Superman was still undeterred as he stepped up boldly, saying with final, dark resolution, "It's over, Blackheart. You lost, so leave before we'll be forced to do something you will regret."

Blackheart's voice then got even smugger and magnanimous as he reminded them, "**_Lost? Hardly, Superman. Have you forgotten? You may have stopped me from destroying the city, but I still have gained the Nexus. It powers, it omnipotence, its living force is now a part of me and henceforth, under the completely control of the Organization. It is you who have lost._**"

"No…" whispered Sandra, her face going pale as Paige and Phoebe looked incredibly guilty and defeated. The other teenagers and Scoobies alongside with the warriors of G.I. Joe were now afraid, realizing the consequences of the turn of events.

"Holy smokes, with that much power, he'd be unstoppable," murmured Shipwreck, his eyes glazed with disbelief.

Storm turned to the three Halliwell sisters, asking, "Charmed Ones, surely you can take away the Nexus from Blackheart, can't you? You have been guarding it amongst your ancestral home and family for generations, so you must have some sort of spell that can overpower the claim he has on the magic!"

Piper shook her head in horrified fear and dismay as she said, her breath quaking and her voice threatening to break, "We tried everything we had already, Storm. Blackheart wasn't lying. The Organization has the Nexus, and we can't take it back. The Power of Three can't stop them now. Oh God, this is even worse than destroying it before any of us could use it."

Blackheart's eyes glowed as he raised a clawed hand with began to crackle, runes of black magic and power forming all around the ground around the Heartless demon as he intoned, "**_So no matter what you pitiful fools do, the Nexus now belongs to my Superior and his Organization along with the Hellfire Club. And you cannot kill me…but I can kill all of you!_**"

"Just you try it, bub!" Wolverine snarled, fearless, and following suit, many of the other heroes prepared to fire upon Blackheart, but before any more blood could have been shed, a voice rang out all around them, echoing a serious and ominous baritone.

"Enough, Blackheart! We already have what we need!" and to everyone's amazement and shock, a man wearing a black hood and cloak appeared in front of Blackheart, acting as a shield between the heroes and the Heartless representative. He was tall, his cloak consisting of waterproof, black cloth of the darkest night, and the only thing not black were the silver cords and zippers on the costume. With one hand, the man pushed back the hood of his cloak to reveal a young-faced man with a long, shaggy mane of chestnut-brown hair and narrowed cold eyes along with a smug smile. Leomon recognized him at once, though it had been so long since he had laid eyes on that face.

"Marluxia?" the swordsman bellowed in shock.

"You know him?" Paige asked as she gawked at the lion warrior.

"Big surprise," scoffed Cyclops and Wolverine simultaneously, sardonic and resentful. And Marluxia was not alone. Eleven more figures appeared in sudden plumes of dark aura out of thin air, and they too stood side by side with Galatea, Blackheart, and the first cloaked man.

"Who the hell are these people?" Low Light croaked as he readied his sniper rifle, sighting Marluxia within his scope instantly and fluidly, but Lemon raised a paw to stop them from doing anything foolish.

"**DON'T!**" yelled Leomon, now truly showing alarm and danger as he held up a paw in warning to the heroes who were ready to charge, "For the sake of the Great Beast, do not physically confront them! **_They're the Thirteenth Order!_**"

"The Order?" exclaimed Forge in shock as his jaw dropped, "_They're_ the Thirteenth Order?"

"Oh bloody hell," Giles murmured to himself, his hands tightening on the handle of his sword.

"What's going on?" Chao-Ahn asked softly, and Blob patiently translated for the Chinese Slayer, whispering as fast as he could process the words while keeping his ear on the conversation.

"Okay, black cloaks and hooded faces? Check. Side by side with a Heartless demon and a psycho-chick? Check. Can appear out of thin air and have magic that's the color of black? Check. Yeah, I think it's safe to say they're evil," Xander joked, but inside, he was trembling within his gut.

"I hafta say that they're _nothing_ from what we've been expecting," Sam confessed. But despite the joking, none of them could doubt that they did not feel a very cold and gripping sense of malicious and foreboding despair coming from the twelve hooded and robed figures.

Yet Beast was counting the group when he realized something odd, and the X-Man remarked, "Wait a minute. If they're called the Thirteenth Order…why are there only _twelve_ of them?"

"Their Superior," answered Leomon as he beadily kept his gaze on the Organization, "Those twelve answer to their leader, the Superior of the Organization, and he is the first of the thirteen to form the order. It is he who sends the other members to do the work of the Heartless."

"A…_superior_? Who is he then?" Spirit asked warily.

"I do not know," Leomon said gruffly, "I have never seen the Superior at all or if I have, I do not remember. I cannot tell you."

"You **can't** tell us or you **won't**?" X23 demanded a bit harshly, glaring at the lion with accusation.

"Shush, kid. We need to hear this," Wolverine reprimanded his clone gently as the crowd and band of heroes grew silent.

"Leomon…it has been a long time," Marluxia spoke. The lion growled, the deep noise causing his chin to slightly quiver from the vibrations, obviously showing his dislike for the soldier named Marluxia. The others who were witnessing this gave Leomon some wary looks, knowing that if they remained silent, they could possibly learn more about this strange group. But it wasn't lost on some that Leomon himself was apparently very familiar with these strangers, but Leomon made no move and just stood there, frozen, with his sword drawn out in front of him.

"Like, why aren't you doing anything?" Shadowcat whispered.

"Yeah, Leomon, can't you just totally wipe them out or something?" Forge asked, but the lion shook his head gravely.

"I doubt that I could even vanquish **one** of them, Forge," the lion confessed, "They're more powerful than me."

"Yeesh, that's not a good sign," gulped Andrew, now very, _very_ scared.

Leomon then turned his attention to Marluxia, snarling defensively, "Leave them alone, Marluxia."

"My, my, my, Leomon…" Marluxia drawled, smug, "Still trying to fight against us? After everything that has happened before in the past? I must say I have to wonder how ashamed the King would feel if he was here to witness this. You failed him, not once, but **twice**. You failed in preventing us from gaining the Nexus. Now their deaths shall be on your hands…or paws, to be more appropriate."

The lion twitched, knowing how much that particular barb had stung.

"Shut up," Leomon growled, the urge to lose himself to his livid anger growing stronger.

"_King?_" Tabitha echoed in disbelief as she looked at the Digimon.

"Leomon works for a king?" Sunspot blurted out, shocked.

"And why is it I get the feeling that Leomon's still hiding something from us?" Cyclops growled as he shot the behemoth a death-glare (who paid Cyclops no attention), "Let me guess, this King is evil like you, isn't he?"

"**_Shut it, Cyclops!_**" snapped Avalanche, Shannon, Raven and, surprisingly enough, Piper. Willow just glared at the X-Man leader before she turned back to the members of the Organization. Avalanche stepped forward daringly.

"Leave him alone," the mutant bravely snarled, and Marluxia looked incredibly amused at the Misfit's support but disdainful nonetheless.

"I see you have gathered a little fan club. How touching considering they will all perish soon enough."

"Leave them out of this, Marluxia. They have nothing to do with my Highness or me. Your fight is not with them," Leomon growled warningly.

"We don't need you to defend us, _homme_!" snapped Gambit as he readied several energy cards, "Remy say we should blast these guys back to whatever dark hole they crawled out of! These Organization _connardes_ need to learn that we're not letting them attack our home, not without giving up a few limbs and vital body parts! And Remy says they've screwed around with us long enough!"

"Yeah, get off our planet before we make ya'!" growled Beast Boy, trying his best to be intimidating.

"**_Not likely! Everyone, put your hands in the air! You're all under arrest by order of the federal government for conspiracy and acts of terrorism against the United States!_**" Agent Keyes yelled over his megaphone, and the X-Men, Misfits, Joes, and their allies suddenly realized, breaking out of their reverie, that the remaining faction of the federal agents were surrounding all of them. Both the Organization and the heroes, not taking a care to discriminate the infamous defenders from the twelve hooded figures alongside Blackheart. Apparently, even after witnessing the witches, the Slayers, the mutants, and the soldiers of G.I. Joe fighting against Blackheart and saving the entire city of San Francisco, Keyes was being incredibly stubborn and pompously short-sighted.

"He can't be serious! How dumb is this agent?" Hawk exclaimed in anger before yelling, "Stand down, Agent Keyes! As a general of G.I. Joe, **_I outrank you_**!"

"**_I said, hands up, including you and your Joes, General Hawk! And the Department of Homeland Security does not take orders from mutie and terrorist sympathizers!_**" Keyes returned evenly. Apparently, he wasn't giving in.

"Are you nuts?" the Slayer Kennedy yelled loudly and furiously at Agent Keyes, "We're the good guys! And you're trying to arrest the Justice League and the Teen Titans, of all people? Are you clueless or just **completely **stupid?"

"**_I said, hands up, you freaks! All of you!_**" Agent Keyes yelled as the two groups of government agents, armed with sniper rifles and high-caliber pistols with laser-beam sightings, aimed their weapons at everyone gathered. Rona gulped as she whispered to Piper.

"Uh…your spell to protect all of us from the bullets is still working, right, Piper? As strong as we are, Slayers _aren't_ bulletproof."

"I think so, but it won't protect the Organization, if anything," the brunette replied uneasily. However, it was apparent that the Thirteenth Order was not the least bit worried about bullets as Marluxia nodded significantly to the clone of Supergirl.

"Galatea, you may proceed," Marluxia said stoically.

"NO!" yelled Superman as he, the Flash, and Quicksilver dashed forward, hoping they could stop Power Girl from acting out, but with a flash of light, the three heroes were sent flying back, screaming and landing in a crumpled heap. Marluxia just smiled as his flower scythe rested serenely in his hands; it was he who blasted the three heroes back from interfering.

"Superman!" gasped Vi as she, Rona, Andrew, Blob, and Colossus helped them up.

"You clorbag cellkarnip!" Starfire yelled, flying up in the air with her hands glowing in emerald fire. But it was too late for them to do anything. Galatea's eyes glowed black before she sent two stream of black flames with her vision, and within seconds, both groups of federal agents were immersed in cosmic heat.

"No!" screamed Sheridan and Agent Keyes together as they watched the brave men and women perish instantly. Scarlet Witch and Green Lantern tried to use their powers to suppress the fire vision, but to their dismay and horror, the fires simply passed by, unaffected by the shields John placed to block the black energy or the hexes Wanda cast to have them miss their targets. Willow then tried to use her magic, yet it too was useless and futile. Nothing could stop Tea's power.

"By Hera!" gasped Wonder Woman, her eyes horrified at the sight of the singed and charred corpses, the air heavy with the sickening smell of pork.

"Goddess…" Storm whispered to herself, feeling incredibly nauseous and not sure if she could ever forget the piercing screams she had just heard cut off so violently short.

"_Mein Gott!_ Heaven help them!" murmured Nightcrawler in sorrow, making the cross over his head and shoulders.

"What happened? Why couldn't you stop it? You guys did before!" Faith yelled hoarsely.

"**We couldn't!** Not this time! We tried, but none of us could block Tea's flame vision!" Wanda gasped, helpless and cold.

"Of course you can't," Marluxia scoffed, as if shocked that the heroes did not even comprehend the fact, "She harnesses the power of the Phoenix Force, a might and strength that far surpasses what any of you deluded fools could ever harness. And thanks to the powers of the Nexus flowing through her due to Blackheart's contribution, she is far more powerful than before when you had just previously fought her in battle."

Jean turned to Leomon before she screamed at him, "What didn't you stop him? You could have fought him! You just stood there and let them die!"

Leomon then looked truly regretful as he said hoarsely, "Jean…I could not help them. I cannot fight everyone."

"How could you?" Daria screamed in outrage at Marluxia and Tea. The Slayers and the Scoobies just remained silent and grim; they were no strangers to death, and they knew immediately that this would not be the last of the bloodbath to come from this new threat. Within seconds, the black fire disappeared, and all that was left of Keyes' men and women were charred cadavers, the flesh pungent and glistening with oil and ashes, stiff already with rigor mortis. It was too late.

Keyes was red in the face as he swore murderously, "I'll see to it that you and all freaks present pay for that, you son of a bitch!"

Marluxia regarded Keyes coolly as he said, "I daresay you have larger things to worry about, Agent. Everyone…let us leave. There is no longer any need for us to be here among these riffraff…"

As much as more than a select few of the united freedom fighters wanted to attack the Organization right now, they thought better of it. If Leomon himself was wary of them…

Galatea smiled as she folded the wings of darkness around her before she teleported away, and Blackheart did the same, summoning a rune underneath his kneeling position before the energy consumed him, and his disappeared. With that, ten of the twelve members left, teleporting and vanishing in this air via portals of wispy darkness, but one lone robed figure lingered alongside Marluxia, and this did not escape anyone's attention. The remaining member of the Thirteenth Order just stared at the assemblage of heroes, but Batman, Wavedancer, Leomon, Professor Xavier, Giles, and Blind Master were all able to sense some sort of…remorse?

Marluxia seemed a bit angry at his own comrade for not following his orders immediately.

"Do you wish to anger the Superior?" Marluxia growled, and the lone figure just silently turned to Marluxia with a pleading and defeated demeanor before he or she lowered his or her head in submission and vanished. Marluxia turned around, his back to the glaring and resentfully helpless crowd, about to disappear along with his fellow allies.

Suddenly, the spokesperson for the Organization stopped, as if remembering something at the last minute.

"Oh, and heroes…" Marluxia said, turning to the Justice League, the Titans, the Joes, the Slayers, the Scoobies, the Charmed Ones, the Misfits, the X-Men, and Leomon, pausing for dramatic effect before he said his final chilling words.

"A message from our Superior: **_it is coming._**"

And with that, Marluxia disappeared in an orb of dark aura.

Phoebe Halliwell let out a short gasp as she covered her mouth with her hands numbly, and General Hawk and Batman's eyes widened. Willow's face turned pale, almost forgetting to breathe for a minute. All four of them remembered the premonitions about Experiment 666.

"No…" whispered Leomon, absolutely horrified, as he sank to all fours, his hands now on the ground at a loss. The swordsman was trembling and truly broken. Raven, Lance, and several of the others nearby were taken aback at the lion's sudden grief.

"Leomon, what…what did he mean?" Shannon asked worriedly. The Digimon looked up at the place where the Thirteenth Order had just vanished, his eyes glassy, but General Hawk spoke next for the furry soldier, guessing the truth immediately.

"He was referring to the Gathering of Twilight. We failed. We can't stop it now. The Gathering of Twilight is going to come to Earth," Hawk said in an emotionless voice. He knew this was to be true.

"And they have the Nexus as well, so now life on Earth is going to be a future hell," Roadblock said, dismayed and his face dark with worry and regret.

Xander looked at the G.I. Joe general quizzically.

"Uh…okay, is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Xander asked.

"What the bloody hell do you think, Xander?" snapped Giles bitingly, already annoyed and irritated.

"But maybe we can still fight this gathering to come, General of Hawk? Perhaps there is still much cause for hope that we can win and have much-appreciated victory," Starfire said with optimism as she looked at the Joes' leader.

"I don't think that's going to be definite, Starfire, especially now this entire fracas and the Organization has been witnessed and is probably being shown throughout the entire world as we speak," Wood grimaced as he nodded his head to the massive mob of spectators, witnesses and reporters on both ends of the barricaded ends of the street, being halted by the presence of the Joes General Hawk sent. Leomon's face turned grim as he sheathed his sword, stood up, and turned to Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Sandra, and Leo (still holding Wyatt and Chris).

"No magic in the world can fix this. I am sorry…" he said solemnly.

And with a mighty leap, to the awe and shocked anger of the crowd, the Digimon ascended high into the air and disappeared into a dimensional rift in space and time that he summoned out of nowhere before he vanished.

"Hey, he just left!" Cover Girl shouted, realizing that their temporary ally just took off.

"Frickin' frackin'…!" Wolverine growled before he let loose a stream of unintelligible curses under his breath and then exploded, "That yellow-furred coward just turned tail and run! He's not going to stay and help us deal with this!"

"It is not his job, Logan," Ororo said wearily.

"But either way, Leomon's right," Paige said with numb fear as the reporters and photographers started taking photographs and filming through their news-cameras, "We lost this battle, and in more ways than one…"

**Author's Notes: The attack "Earthquake Tsunami" was actually created by Red Witch and used in the story "Evolution XMJ", so thank you for allowing me to write about it, RW! And next Friday, we learn of the consequences and aftermath of the battle as the Charmed Ones and Slayers finally deal with the repercussions of the exposure of the supernatural while Piper and Hawk finally duke it out with Agent Keyes and Inspector Sheridan. And this time, Piper will make some long-awaited apologies…until next Friday, see you soon! And excuse any spelling mistakes I might have missed!**


	12. No Turning Back

**CHAPTER 12: No Turning Back**

"You guys sure about this?" Bezerker asked as he and the rest of the X-Men along with the Misfits, the Misfit handlers, the Justice League, Batgirl, the Scoobies, and the eight Slayers gathered around (though it was a tight squeeze) in the infirmary inside the Watchtower in outer space. The Charmed Ones and Willow were sitting alongside next to Supergirl who was still resting in her bed, deep in the coma. After the battle, both Batman and General Hawk realized that there was no time to waste now that the Organization had the Nexus, and as such, Supergirl's life would no longer be of any use to the Hellfire Club, so it was indeed very possible that if they did not hurry, Kara's life would be brutally and immediately cut short.

"There's no other way if you think about it, Ray," Magma surmised, frowning thoughtfully, "And if the spell Toad, Xi, and Andrew came up with was enough to suppress the Nexus before Blackheart could destroy the city with it, then it should be enough to break the spell the Organization put on Supergirl."

"_Hopefully_," added Rona, listening to this, "But I can tell you one thing: it feels like we're going up to bat with a toothpick. There's no guarantee that this is gonna work, you know?"

Meanwhile, Andrew and Xander were taking in the fact that they were in the actual headquarters of the Justice League itself with their usual enthusiastic endeavor: they were having absolute orgasms of euphoric joy.

"Oh my God, I could die right now and be happy," Xander sighed, his brown eye starry with wonder and delight, "If this is a dream, seriously, I'm going to kill the next person who wakes me up from this. Oh my God, we're in the actual center of operations of the Justice League itself, the one place that no human in the world had ever been able to set foot in! Oh my God, we're in hallowed ground! Oh God, I could just kiss this floor! I never want to leave this place _ever_ again! They'll have to drag my dead body out of here first!"

"Wait 'til the people on the _sci-fi dot com_ boards hear about this! We'll be the stuff of legends! Oh, oh! And we can have a chance to get their autographs and pictures taken with them!" squealed Andrew, almost sounding like a girl with his excited screaming, hopping up and down exuberantly.

Superman gave Xander an unreadable look before he winced and glared at Batman.

"And you brought those two **here**?" the Kryptonian asked, an edge to his voice.

"Trust me, I regret meeting up with them. If you thought Trinity was annoying…" Batman muttered before Supergirl, despite being in a deep sleep, arched back and screamed, howling loudly enough to cause many around her to wince and clap their hands over their ears. The shrieks of pain were so deafening, they could literally be measured only in the decibel levels. And everyone could notice that there was a faint, black luster surrounding Supergirl now, her entire body almost as if it was suffocating in a black cloud of magic that could only rival the powers and omnipotence of the First itself.

"What…what's happening to Supergirl?" Boom-Boom yelled as she did her best to make herself be heard over the din of the piercing, jarring wails and screeching. Faith then guessed it correctly.

"It's those Organization jackasses!" Faith yelled, "They must be trying to snuff out Supergirl! Since the fight's done, they're tryin' to cut off all the loose ends! They must be tryin' to kill her! Will, girl, whatever you're gonna do, you better do it now before she kicks the bucket! And I'm not gonna let those thirteen assholes leave us with the raw end of the shaft like last time!"

"Quickly, join hands! All of us, do it now!" Willow yelled as she, Paige, Piper, and Phoebe rested their hands on Supergirl's glowing body in order to jump start the spell and initiate all the magic the four witches could harness together, a united and amalgamated power that not even the Titan, Raven, could produce, and as one, all the heroes (even the Justice League) joined hands with each other and linked to Willow, Paige, Phoebe, and Piper's hands before they all chanted a slightly modified version of the spell they used on Blackheart in San Francisco. Even Polly the parrot was chanting while perched on Shipwreck's shoulder.

"_Darkness and Light, Dusk and Dawn. Heroes battle and carry on. Mutant and mortal, Wiccan and Slayer, the curse is broken with this prayer. Hand in hand, heart and soul. Blessed be, set her free, the power of good, we extol!_"

There was a bright flash…

---

"**_NO!_**" howled Larxene as she, Zexion, and Lexaeus were suddenly thrown back from the obsidian, stone fountain of the Thirteenth Order, flung forcefully by an overwhelming pressure and magical aura that could have easily injured them noticeably. The strapping man in the black cloak with brown hair swore as he slammed his fist on the marble floor of their headquarters.

"Those whores!" Lexaeus raged, red in the face, as he, Zexion, and Larxene picked themselves up from their sprawled positions on the ground and rushed to the pool of water resting at the base of the scrying fountain. To their horror, they discovered that the connection to Supergirl was completely obliterated; they no longer had any power over the alien girl with the bond to the Phoenix Force in their hands.

"A little trouble, I see?" Axel said in a playful tone as he emerged from the shadows, holding his twin, spiked chakrams of fire. The female Organization member named Larxene whirled on Axel angrily, her normally pale face absolutely flushed in crimson, her eyes glittering with vengeance and cheated gall.

"The Charmed Ones!" the blond girl hissed in annoyance, "They broke the spell we maintained on Supergirl! And they were powerful enough to stop even our magic before we could kill that bitch!"

"My, my, my, I certainly would not wish to be in your boots when the Superior discovers how badly you failed in your simple endeavors," Axel snidely bragged, enjoying their misfortune. Zexion narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his slim chest defensively.

"This is no time for outlandish gloating, Axel," Zexion said in an acidic voice, "Now the heroes still have a way to fight us because of this setback! They too now have a powerful agent who harnesses the might and raw power of the Phoenix Force!"

"But we still have the Nexus…" Axel answered as he turned around and walked away, his gait simply relaxed and even a bit merry (which infuriated the other three members to no end), "And I wouldn't worry. The Superior says that those heroes will get theirs soon enough, especially with the Gathering approaching…"

---

"Whoa…" Supergirl said, a bit woozy as she held a hand to her forehead before she noticed the odd crowd gathered and congregated around her bed (along with a love-struck Xander who was drooling with glazed eyes like a typical oblivious idiot). Supergirl blinked, wondering if she was still dreaming until she started feeling the bedsores on her back and rear end for lying unconscious in a bed for over two weeks.

"Uh, Batgirl?" Supergirl asked hesitantly, "Why are all these strangers along with the X-Men and Misfits watching me in the infirmary?"

"It's a long story, Kara…" Batgirl groaned, rubbing her bruised arms, before she gave her friend a much-needed and joyously exuberant hug. Supergirl was awake and all right, and that was all that mattered to Barbara for the moment.

"Uh…hey, you guys," Xander whispered clandestinely to Fred, Todd, Roberto, and Kurt, "Do you guys know if Supergirl is seeing anyone or if she's available? Do you know if she even has a boyfriend?"

"Don't even think about, Mr. Harris," Superman growled, giving the Scooby the evil eye, catching that whisper with his sensitive hearing.

---

Meanwhile, back at the Institute, the adults decided it was best to give the kids the night off to recover and perhaps rest after the harrowing battle that could have very nearly cost them all their very lives. Piper and Leo were in one of the guest bedrooms of the mansion, tending to Chris and Wyatt, primarily because they needed some time alone from the rest of the groups of Slayers, mutants, and humans in order to deal with the fact that their lives were now officially over. It wasn't easy to remain level-headed and emotion-free when your entire life was in shambles. Piper wasn't ready to deal and face what happened with her by herself, and the brown-haired Wiccan was even less willing to endure being in the presence of the crowd and wanting to endure self-righteous _I-told-you-so_ statements from many of the warriors. Still, both she and Leo, despite needing the time of solitude, were extremely grateful that the X-Men, Misfits, and Joes along with the Slayers fought on their behalf.

It is hadn't been for their interference, the Charmed Ones would have easily been killed…or worse.

However, Phoebe and Paige were very willing to integrate and spend time with the kids and adults, easily making friends and pleasant conversation with all of them. Phoebe had already received many apologies, especially from Bobby and Jean, to which she accepted gracefully and had forgiven all the negative feelings whole-heatedly. Jubilee, however, was not one of them, but Rina and Kitty explained to the middle Halliwell sister that Jubilee was too ashamed over what she had done and how she had acted to Phoebe to even be comfortable in staying in the same room as her. Phoebe understood; when Jubilee was ready, she would come the Charmed Ones herself, and sincere apologies and redemption could not come if they were forced.

Granted, Paige and Phoebe still felt a little anger at the X-Men and Misfits, but it could be pardoned easily enough, especially since the heroes helped save Wyatt and Chris and continued to stand by the Halliwells and protected them after the entire fiasco. If they ever needed friends, Paige and Phoebe couldn't afford to push their allies away now, especially since they could never be truly safe and hidden again like before. And like Paige pointed out, the Hellfire Club and Thirteenth Order tricked all of the Misfits and X-Men and Joes, and Piper wasn't exactly receiving and affable herself (thus making matter worse).

Paige, Professor Xavier, Hank, Wood, Cover Girl, Spirit, and Roadblock were quietly discussing the matters in Xavier's study when Phoebe walked in, clicking down the lid of her cell-phone, sighing and her face dejected and downcast.

"Bad news, I take it, girl? After everything that's happened, I'm expecting a real whirl," Roadblock asked in verse.

"Sort of. I just talked with Darryl and Shelia. They saw what happened on the news, and despite the seriousness of it, both of them told me that they would support us, all of us, no matter what we choose to do. Even Shelia was sympathetic and concerned for our safety, especially when she saw what Blackheart nearly did to all of San Francisco. Even though it may cause them to be pariahs and outcasts and targets to the Friends of Humanity, Darryl and Shelia said that they'll try to organize as much support from the human public as they can. They're not going to abandon us, and they called to let me know that we're always welcome as their friends, and us being witches isn't going to change that. Of course, it helps that they knew our secret beforehand."

"You call that bad news?" Cover Girl asked, blinking, "That sounds great!"

"Not really, because I'm now no longer a columnist at my job at the _Bay Mirror_ newspaper," Phoebe revealed.

"I'm sorry about that. My condolences on getting fired, Ms. Halliwell," Hank supplied gently.

"Actually, **I quit**, Beast. If anything, my editor, Elise, wanted me to stay on board as a columnist for the paper. She said that being a witch didn't change the fact that I was one of the more popular and memorable writers for the Bay Mirror ever. And she also said that if having a witch on staff of the paper made people mad, then she must be doing something right," the Wiccan clarified.

"I must admit, that is surprising," Wood said, amused and pleasantly amazed.

"So, how are we doing so far?" Phoebe asked as she settled down on the couch next to Beast.

"Well, though the house is completely destroyed along with half of the neighborhood, we managed to find the Book of Shadows before we took off," Paige said wearily, holding up the leather-bound tome of spells, the triquetra now fully formed and whole, though if you looked closely enough, you could make out soft yet distinct cracks in the material between each spike of the symbol, a permanent reminder that the Power of Three had been split and never been the same since.

Paige continued, "And from what we can tell, the Elder Whitelighters aren't going to help us on this one. That means now the whole world knows about our legacy and that demons and monsters exist. It's not going to be good for the rest of the supernatural and good beings of white magic, especially now with people being in a complete and biased snit over anything that has to deal with witchcraft."

"We know," Spirit stated with some fatigued remorse and sorrow, "Already, G.I. Joe have been receiving reports from our superiors of violence and hateful hysteria all over the globe in numerous cities. Several officials in the government in China, Italy, France, and the Netherlands are declaring immediate execution of anyone found practicing witchcraft or showing an interest in it. The leader of the Friends of Humanity, Graydon Creed, is blaming the existence of mutant via the meddling black magic of all Wiccans and witches and as such, witches are now on their target list along with mutants, human sympathizers, and aliens. Stryker from Purity is leading a large coalition of churches and religions to form a new branch of anti-magic and supernatural group called the Purifiers, and from what we can deduce, they have some very influential and rich backers supporting them such as Lex Luthor and the Quarrymen in New York, so you know this **will** be future trouble. Several members from the House of Representatives are pushing for bills for Congress to approve that all witches be move into concentration camps for their safety and the safety of innocent 'humans'. Tarot reading booths have been trashed, herbal shops have been vandalized and burned to the ground, TV shows about ghosts and demons have been pulled from networks, and libraries all over the United States are destroying any books they can find about wizards and witches and magic. Even legendary and harmless stories and fairy-tales such as King Arthur and Merlin are being obliterated. And by now, several people believed to be witches have been targets of hysterical mobs that somehow got wind of their beliefs and were killed by bombs and fires. One female who was a firm Wiccan was even crucified by an over-zealous Christian mob in front of their own church after they slit her throat."

"My God," Paige gasped, tuning white, "This is barbaric! We can't just hide here and let this go on! And the Hellfire Club has really hit a new low this time! They didn't even care about causing the world to be at each other's throats as long as they gained the Nexus! They really let the cat out of the bag this time!"

"This is even worse than setting Trigon free into our dimension, if not on the same level At least when Trigon was banished, no one had any idea what was going on," Cover Girl groaned.

"And I do fear that unless something is done to appease the public, things will get worse before they get better. And this is not including that the Gathering of Twilight is fast approaching…"

"I just hope the kids are handling this well," Wood remarked, feeling for the Slayers and the mutants, "Lord knows how this isn't going to be easy for any of the kids to deal with, especially since we just failed this last battle with the Heartless…"

In the meantime, not too far away in a separate room…

"Let me get this straight…" Ororo said tiredly, her voice on an edge as she rubbed her head at the congregation in the large living room, "While we may possibly be facing the end of the world, the magical world of the paranormal and the supernatural have been exposed, the Thirteenth Order has accurate validated our fears about the Gathering, the general public is in mass hysterics, and the forces of Mother Earth and Nature is now in the hands of the Hellfire Club to be used as a massive weapon for the Heartless…**_you're all playing video games and eating snacks?_**"

"Pretty much," Fred said as he along with the rest of Slayers along with most of the X-Men and Misfits were chowing down on candies, packaged cakes and pastries, sodas, and chocolate in the plush room while watching Multiple cheering after his latest conquest.

"**Ha-ha! I win again! In your face! So in your face! I'm the video game champion!**" Jamie crowed as he raised a fist in the air and pumped it, whooping as the announcer screamed "Game!" and the instant Xander's Captain Falcon plummeted to his death, leaving Jamie's Gannondorf victorious in the latest round of "Super Smash Bros. Melee". Andrew, Xander, and Rona just glared at Multiple, twitching at the fact that they lost the fifth game in a row to the little, jubilant and annoying shrimp. Andrew was exceptionally outraged at the fact that he had never lost whenever he had Mr. Game and Watch on his side (his key strategy to winning most of his tournaments when he could enter them), so to be defeated by a thirteen year-old (who was also the youngest of the X-Men) was certainly outrageous.

"You have to admit, he's very good," Caridad marveled despite her belief that video games were really for immature and easily-entertained dimwits, "Over twenty rounds, and I haven't seen him lose once yet. Even when Andrew, Kurt, and Bobby ganged up on him altogether, he still pulled through with one extra life to spare."

"How does this little twerp keep winning?" Rona grumbled as she massaged a blister on her thumb.

"If he doesn't quit bragging, I might be tempted to strangle that little pipsqueak," Xander muttered darkly.

"Use a pillow. It'll his muffle his screams, and you can hold him down for me while I smother him," Andrew growled, having a very disturbing twitch in his right eye as he reached for a soft cushion from the couch.

"Who's next?" Jamie taunted rather boorishly and insolently, "C'mon, are you all scared for a challenge or are you ready to admit that no one alive can win against Multiple, the King of Games?"

"I daresay I am quite up for the challenge," spoke a familiar, erudite, English voice, and everyone in the room turned to see a modest Giles polishing the lens of his glasses on his burgundy sweater. Some were a bit perplexed at the fact that Rupert Giles, of all unlikely people, would be willing to participate in something that adults would certainly regard as childish (and Jamie was downright mocking).

"You?" Jamie scorned, looking at Giles up and down before he sneered with a little disrespect, "Uh, hate to tell you this, Giles, but video games are nothing like books. Maybe you should go back to the library and study like a good bookworm. Really, I'm giving you a chance to back off and save yourself the humiliation."

"What can I say, young one? I'm a stubborn Brit who doesn't know any better," Giles said as he took a controller and began to select his character. He was the only contestant.

"**_PICHU?_**" Jamie gasped in shock before laughing disdainfully at the Watcher, "Boy, am I gonna feel bad when we see how fast you lose this round, Mr. Giles! Don't you know he's the weakest character ever and that his own electric attacks give one-percent damage _to himself_ automatically? Wah ha ha ha ha, are you amateur! Choosing a baby Pokemon as your fighter!"

"Ready…Go!" yelled the announcer on the video game, and before the teenagers knew it, within five minutes…

"Game!" cheered the announcer and Multiple's eyes glazed over as the controller dropped out of his frozen hands, unwilling to believe that the screen was now applauding a little, familiar, electric, yellow baby Pokemon as the winner as Gannondorf's body, now completely covered with fire, was sent screaming into the screen before crashing and sliding down into oblivion.

"I…lost?" squeaked Jamie.

"Yes, quite a memorable battle, actually. You almost had me there with that hammer, Mr. Maddox," Giles said as he polished his glasses with his sweater before placing them back over his eyes as Xander cheered alongside Rona and Vi.

"I lost?" Jamie said, his voice cracking.

"**_And the winner, the stuffy British Watcher from England who drinks his tea with his pinky sticking out, the G-Man picks up the spare with no lives wasted!_**" Xander yelled, hooting, as he raised the Watcher's hand high over Giles' head like a boxing champion. Giles remained impassive, but one could see a corner of his lips turned upwards.

"**I lost?**" Jamie yelled, his screaming now strained and practically falsetto.

"Yep, and we got it all on video, little Multiple. And FYI, we've already been receiving request for copies of this little setback in your undefeated run in Game-Cube history here at the mansion. Better luck next time," Kennedy drawled, holding up a video camera.

"**_I LOST?_**" Jamie was now screaming, clutching his temples in his hands, throwing an absolute fit, "**_I LOST? I LOST? I LOST? AAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHH!_**"

It was safe to say that Jamie was having a little breakdown.

Tabitha, Kennedy and Ray just watched on, incredibly amused.

"We're never going to let the little goober live this one down, are we? The fact that he lost to a librarian and a British Watcher of all people," the blond-haired X-Girl giggled as she got a malicious glint in her eye, remembering all the unbearable times she and the rest of the residents of the X-Mansion had to endure Jamie's bragging rights and outlandish, obnoxious behavior at rubbing his teammates' respective faces that no one could ever reclaim his title of "Video Game King" at the Institute.

"Nope," chuckled Ray.

Meanwhile, Wolverine was traveling to the guest room to where Jubilee was resting. The grizzled, feral mutant was intending to check up on the Chinese girl and seeing if she needed some comfort and someone to talk to, and considering she had lost her parents and had been used as the Hellfire club's pawn, Logan knew, more than anyone here in the X-Mansion, that Jubilee needed healing. Though he wouldn't admit it, Logan was pained and grieving for Jubilee's drastic change in her life. She didn't deserve this pain, and the X-Man intended to make the Hellfire Club pay for what they did by screwing her over.

Logan then opened the door to Jubilee's bedroom before he found, to his surprise and annoyance, Jake Clawson leaning against the dresser of the room while Jubilee was sitting on the bed. Apparently, they have been talking before Logan arrived in, unannounced. Though he could guess what Jake was trying to do, Wolverine felt his irritation at horning in on private matters grow even more at the faint scent of Jake's kat hair.

Logan frowned before he said with some impatient hostility, "Hairball, can you give me and the Firecracker some time alone?"

Jake narrowed his eyes, but he nodded easily enough before he looked at Jubilee and said, "Take care, kitten. If you need people to talk to, there are other people besides me too, you know."

"Get out before I throw you out, hairball…and preferably, though the door," muttered Logan, indicating that he wanted to talk to Jubilee now. Jake smirked, knowing Wolverine didn't mean it as he left, closing the door behind him.

"You shouldn't be so mean to Jake. He was actually kind of helping me," Jubilee said in a subdued tone.

Logan raised an eyebrow as he grumbled, trying to not sound curious, "Oh?"

"Yeah. He was telling me about how in his days as a SWAT Kat, he lost Chance and had to leave to make it safe for himself and Callie Briggs and the others who were friends with him back in his home dimension."

She paused as she swallowed the ball of helpless rage and grief lodged in her throat. Even now, her parents' deaths were still extremely painful for her to reflect on, and Logan felt his heart secretly break from the look of devastation on the teenager's face. And God help him, when he got his hands on Tala, Wolverine would see to it that Tala wouldn't even live to cause more tragedy and death and mindless manipulation on any innocent soul ever again. Jubilee wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before she shakily continued.

"He was telling me to not expect the pain to go away because it never will, the guilt and sorrow and anger that life has changed for the worse and that it will never be the same again. But Jake also told me how…how it takes time, but it will get better. Yeah, I wish I had one last moment with my parents, but…but Jake says that he wishes the same thing for Chance and him, but it won't happen and that I have to learn to accept it. It may make me feel a lot better, but Jake says that at least I have people who won't abandon me now, so in a way, I am lucky. I…I just wish I didn't try to kill Phoebe because I thought she killed my parents with that vampire, but Jake says that it's nothing to be ashamed about. He told me that when you're grieving, you want to hurt someone and that it's natural to do something drastic you normally wouldn't. Jake even told me that when he was in Megakat City, he tried to commit suicide and take out the Alliance of Evil, so he knows what it's like to do something desperate."

Logan just silently looked at her; Jubilee had grown since the last time he saw her, and he was glad. But his heart then broke as Jubilee then started weeping softly, and helpless and now wishing he could do more, Logan just sat on the bed and gently embraced the Chinese girl. Grateful and sniffing, Jubilee just buried her face into Wolverine's chest, feeling her tears soak up the fabric of his shirt, as she wrapped her hands around his broad waist and held on tightly, distraughtly, as if she was afraid that if she let go, Logan too would die before her very eyes.

Logan whispered in Jubilee's ear, as soft as his gruff voice possibly could, "Hey, kid…it's OK to cry. You took a hard hit, one that a kid should never have to endure, so it's OK to cry. Shows that you still have feeling and that your soul ain't broken, so there's still a lot of hope to heal and recover from this whole crap."

"I just miss them so much," choked Jubilee.

"And you should, Firecracker, you should. But you're not gonna go about this alone, kid, not a chance in hell. Me and Chuck and all the kids here are gonna help you through this. I'm gonna help you through this, and I'm not going to rest until I make each and every one of those Hellfire scumbags and Tala pay for what they did to you, you hear?" Logan said, holding her face up by placing a finger underneath her chin so she could see that he wasn't lying when he promised her that, that hidden message that life goes on and so will she.

Jubilee, despite the tears and grief still coursing inside her, actually managed to smile at last, one that she had never dared to attempt since her parents' deaths.

At the same time, Andrew wandered off a bit from the video game tournament and the shattered remains of Jamie's pride when he came up to Xi and Todd, who, upon seeing their friend, their faces lit up before they hurriedly dragged him into the study nearby. Andrew didn't even have time to yelp in surprise before the door closed so that the three could have some privacy.

"Man, are we glad we found you, yo!" Todd said exuberantly and he and Xi took out a wrapped package each from behind their backs, both of the objects clumsily and messily wrapped in brown paper. Toad's package was small and bulky while Xi's was long, cylindrical and thin enough to have his entire clawed hand grasping around it.

"We've been trying to look for you forever, ever since we got back from San Francisco," Xi explained as he and Toad held out their packages to Andrew, "We got something for you."

Andrew was flabbergasted and shocked to say the least as he numbly let the two teenage mutants place their gifts in his hands. He was simply astounded and amazed and touched to say the least. Not even his ex-friends, Jonathan and Warren, were this gracious and nice and open with him when Andrew used to be evil.

"For…for me?" the blond Watcher-in-training managed to croak out in a falsetto tone, hardly daring to believe his good fortune. Xi and Todd nodded eagerly, smiling.

"To help thank you for saving me life during the battle," Todd said easily enough, though he did unconsciously rub the bruise on his neck where the Friends of Humanity supporter tried to choke him earlier.

"And plus, you're our friend now, so we wish to not only thank you, but also help your for your future well-being, especially since you will be fighting for your life in battle with the Heartless. We know you have the potential to be a good warrior, and we both want you the have the confidence to see that people do trust and believe in you. So we figured these gifts could help you, Andrew, especially since the staff Giles gave to you broke during the battle with the Turok-Han and the Friends of Humanity," Xi provided compassionately.

Fingers trembling, Andrew felt his eyes burn with touched sentiment as he hurriedly tore the string and tape and paper off Toad's present first, and the blond Scooby then felt his heart stop when he saw what it was.

Todd's gift was a large gold-colored bandanna, large and comfortable enough to be worn and tied around one's forehead like a warrior with black Japanese characters written artistically all over it. But the bandanna was gently wrapped around a very prized and valuable object, cushioning a weapon Andrew had been pleading for quite some time…

"A glovatrix!" Andrew gasped, nearly squealing, at the trademark weapon he saw so many times in the episodes of the SWAT Kats, the black and blue glove complete with a fully-loaded ammunition cache resting in the torn paper, pristine and oiled and primed, ready for use.

Todd then explained, feeling his heart swell with pride and satisfaction at Andrew's happiness as he explained, "Yeah, yo, we were able to talk Jake into making one for you, especially since Xander, Vi, and Rona already have them, and Jake agreed with us and all how it wasn't fair to you, especially since you really wanted one. But Giles and Wood say that they don't want you using it always and that you need ta' learn responsibility and everything, yo, so me and Xi had to plead and promise them that we'd help you practice your sharp-shooting skills and everything and make sure you don't blow stuff up! But it's worth it. And the bandanna you can wear on your head like a ronin or ninja, yo, and we had Blind Master make it for you, and we even asked him to paint the writing on it!"

"What…what does it mean?" Andrew asked, holding the soft cloth in his hands.

Xi smiled, almost chuckling at a private joke, "It's Japanese for 'Courageous Mouse'…oh, don't look at us like that! We figured that title fits you really well."

"It does," Andrew admitted before he opened Xi's present. It was a beautifully carved, dark wooden staff, wrapped with sturdy bandages in the middle and ends to ensure easier grips for Andrew, and the bo was smooth as bone and polished, gleaming in the lamplight.

"We also requested some help from Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow for this one," Xi said as Andrew fawned over the new weapon, "We know you're not comfortable with wielding swords or knives, so a wooden staff would be a terrific weapon for you. It's made from a special wood, and it's been cemented in ash and pitch and fire until it has been nearly petrified. That bo you're holding is strong, strong enough to withstand any sword or axe easily, and I daresay, only Japanese steel can truly cut it. It's strong enough for you to pole-vault with it if you really needed to, and that staff can support your body weight. But it's lightweight enough that you can easily carry it with one hand."

"You…you did this for me? You pleaded with Razor and Giles to let me have a glovatrix? You asked the ninjas from G.I. Joe to give me a weapon made just for me? I…I don't know what to say. No one's ever done this much for me before…" Andrew asked as he was now shaking, still wondering if he was dreaming.

"Yo, you're one of us now, an honorary Misfit along with the other Slayers. Of course we'd do this for you," Toad piped up, resting his hand on Andrew's shoulder.

"You…thank you," Andrew sniffed, wiping his eyes, before Xi grabbed him and Todd in a group hug, just the three of them. And Andrew swore to himself that he would never forget this day as one of the happiest times of his entire life.

Meanwhile, General Hawk was waiting in the living room when Piper and Leo emerged, white in the face, but Piper had a look of determined and complacent fire inside her eyes.

"What do you wish to do now, Piper?" Hawk asked, "As I have offered before, we can hide you and your family should you wish -"

"No," Piper stoutly declared. Hawk looked a bit taken aback at the strong and firm resoluteness of her voice, as if she had already made up her mind.

"We've done enough hiding. I need to settle this now. We need to settle this now…and I'm not going to play into the Hellfire's hands and run scared any more. I make my stand here…like I should have done the first time you and Batman came to me that night," Piper said stoutly. General Hawk felt a surge of pride at Piper's declaration, already having an idea of what she wished to achieve, of what she needed to do to make the world understand the truth.

"Then what do you want to do, Piper? I give you my word that you'll have G.I. Joe's protection and full support in whatever decision you make," Hawk replied.

---

"You sure about this?" Leo asked his wife for the umpteenth time as she, Phoebe, and Paige waited in the safety of the escorts of the Slayers and the Scoobies along with Wood and Giles. The X-Men, the Misfits, and the Joes were understandably not with them as they were helping maintain that the entire perimeter was secure and safe.

"General Hawk thinks it's a good idea, and after everything that has happened because of my refusals, I need to trust him and G.I. Joe this time, Leo. We have to do this, no question about it. Why let people speculate when you tell them the truth and give them hope, real hope, about the Gathering? We can't fight darkness and lies with more darkness. We have to let the light in and expose the truth, to show them the real story. Afterwards, whatever they believe when shown both sides of the story is their decision, but at least this way, we get a chance to show the real truth about the Charmed Ones. Like Grams always said, the truth will set us free," Piper answered shakily before she, Paige, Phoebe and the Slayers along with Willow, Giles, and Wood emerged out of the guarded room and into a podium where a gargantuan, massive, and tightly-packed crowd of reporters awaited them, sitting on chairs or the floor with their pads, cameras, and video camcorders ready. Piper looked out at the throng of representatives from every major news network and publication in the city and indeed, in the entire world. From the BBC network to Gotham City News to KTSF to CNN to reporters from the periodicals of the _New York Times_, _the Daily Planet_, and _Newsweek_. Everyone who wanted the real story and facts about the Halliwells and their friends were gathered at the small meeting room in the military base in San Francisco, ready to report and describe the biggest news break of the year if not the century. Even Elise (who gave Phoebe a wink and a thumbs-up sign showing her support) from the Bay Mirror was there with her staff, eager to jump on the latest juicy tidbits. Though many of the men and women in the media were glaring and sneering at the witches with contempt and malice, many were curious and respectfully silent.

God help them all.

Piper took a deep breath before she began speaking in a clear and composed voice in the microphone.

"As you may have heard, we are the Charmed Ones, a group of Wiccans prophesized from colonial times to fight evil entities and protect the innocent with witchcraft, descending from a long line of powerful matriarchs…"

And for the next hour, filming live on television for numerous TV stations and for millions of people in various countries, the Halliwells and Giles explained and described everything.

They talked about the legacy of the Charmed Ones, a prophecy that three women born in the Halliwell family line would emerge as the most powerful Wiccans born to combat and fight against the dark forces.

They talked about the legacy of the vampire Slayer and the Watchers Council, and how since the early days when the world was young, human girls were chosen by fate to fight and slay the various forces of evil, especially vampires, and how the world was changed at the Battle of the Hellmouth in the small California town called Sunnydale.

They talked about the Nexus and the truth about why they were targeted, and how the Organization used the opportunity to gain infinite power of the Earth, a loving and nurturing force though the spirits of Nature along with the real truths of magic, on how it was not inherently good or evil but rather how it was used that defined its moralities.

And as the hour ended, Paige raised her hand, and to everyone's amazements and gasps of awe and astonishment, the room was filled with dwarves, valkyries, leprechauns, fairies, pixies, and (to some onlookers' delights) a unicorn or two. Even Sandra herself appeared, displaying her full regalia as a Whitelighter Elder, an Immortal who was the guardian angel of good witches all throughout the world. Hawk had to smile. Everyone could recognize these universal icons associated with beneficial and good magic, and from his observation in the room, every reporter appeared to be less guarded and suspicious of the supernatural beings in the room. If anything, it made it less hostile and more pleasant, their faces melting away to something skin of wonder and curiosity, but not hate.

Phoebe then finished strongly, "Everyone, respected men and women gathered here, if we wish to tell you one thing, it is this: magic exists and it has existed long ago before any of us even comprehended it. You had no problem reading about them in stories and fairy-tales, and now that they are proven to exist, you have no reason to fear them. They are still the same creatures you have grown up with since childhood. They are the same beings and forces that fight evil, protect us and themselves against real threats like the Turok-Han and the demons and the Thirteenth Order. They are the same beings that wish to live in peace, which was why they remained hidden for so long. Magic is here, and it cannot die or go away because it is a force that none of us can ever truly abolish or vanquish. But we can accept it as real, and whether or not you disagree, there is both good and evil in magic, just like anything else in this world, and we're on the side of good. If you don't believe us, then ask yourselves why we fought alongside G.I. Joe and the Misfits and the X-Men? Why did we risk our lives to stop Blackheart from using the Nexus to destroy the city? And why did we battle against the army of warlocks and vampires to protect the cops and the children from getting attacked? You cannot argue those facts, just as how you cannot argue that magic exists and it does not have to be a thing to be feared but rather, something that is just different."

There was a soft pause when the Wiccan was done speaking.

"Any questions?" Giles then asked calmly, and indeed, immediately after than, quite a few number of hands shot up (a good sign). Giles pointed at one male reporter who called out from halfway across the crowded room loudly.

"The Charmed Ones claim to be Wiccans, but aren't they the same as witches?"

Willow answered, "No, a witch can be both good or evil, but a Wiccan uses white magic, and thus, is inherently good, because Wiccans can only harness the power of Nature and the Earth, and in order to do that, you need a pure heart, a virtuous soul, and though Wiccans can become bad, then they lose their powers and become evil witches, but an evil witch can turn good again if she is repentant. This, witches equals good or bad. Wiccans equals good."

One woman piped up curiously, "Why aren't there any _male_ Slayers? Why does a Slayer always have to be a girl?"

"It's the way how it's always been miss, ever since the Shadowmen summoned the first powers to bequeath to a single girl," Wood provided.

Kennedy then smiled as she joked, "Besides, if men can't handle the pains of the monthly period or childbirth, then how we can expect them to handle the job of destroying evil supernatural demons and vampires? Without us women to pick up the slack, the Earth would be doomed already."

There were a few dirty looks from the men in the audience, but all of them had some amusement as well, and indeed all, if not most, of the sea of reporters and journalists were chuckling softly, and quite a few female reporters called out approving praises of "Testify, girl!" and "Amen!"

Hawk had to smile as well. The Slayers and the Charmed Ones were already starting to show their human sides, to empathize with the curious inquisitors. And it was working, making them appear less as monsters to the public and rather as ordinary people no different from them.

Paige then called on one boisterous male reporter from Fox News.

"Can a witch or Wiccan ever use their powers selfishly? How do we know you freaks can't simply enchant people to do your bidding or enslave us normal folk?" he asked with a sneer. Quite a few reporters close by shot him with dirty looks because such insults would certainly be grounds to declare the news conference over, but to their relief, Willow and Paige just smoothly and sincerely answered.

"No, because if we did anything for personal gain or to endanger and punish innocent people for selfish reasons, we lose our powers. Contrary to what many believe, magic has rules and you have to abide by them if you wish to live properly. Notebook!" Paige said before calling out that last word, and to the reporter's surprise, the pad of paper in his hands disappeared and orbed into this air only to reappear into Paige's palm.

Willow then added, "And as I have said before, if we break these rules, we become evil. Being a good witch or a Wiccan isn't as glamorous as some people make it out to be. Yes you have power but you also have responsibilities and consequences if you make even the slightest mistake. Any careless magic and spells, no matter how harmless you try to make them can have enormous repercussion in the future."

"And considering that we still have our powers, I think this should indicate that none of us have ever misused our magical abilities," Paige answered as she orbed the notebook she took earlier back into the reporter's grasp.

"So why even fight for the side of good if you have to follow rules and laws?" another reporter piped up.

"Because it is the side that always prevails. Good may be boring and stiff and all that, but it always wins because being evil destroys you from inside, consumes you until your are so severely weakened that you become reduced to almost nothing. And it is the side of good that empowers us and makes us stronger, thus it gives us hope and a reason to fight if we ever wish to survive the Gathering to come."

Suddenly, before there could be more questioning, the doors burst open to display a triumphant and arrogant Agent Keyes along with a lesser-pleased Inspector Sheridan and a small group of policemen, all of them armed and wearing bullet-proof vests, walking towards the podium.

Willow gasped before she turned to Faith, saying, "Faith, be prepared for trouble! Jean just warned me telepathically!"

"What the hell?" muttered General Hawk darkly as the small throng moved in with Cover Girl, Low Light, and Shipwreck protesting behind.

"We couldn't stop them, General," Low Light said, though he was glaring poisonously at Keyes and Sheridan's backs, "We told them to take a hike, but they have a warrant!"

"A warrant?" Leo gaped, astounded and confused, but then leading authority figure from the Department of Homeland Security then explained it all in one sentence.

"Faith Lehane, we have a warrant for your arrest…" Keyes said smugly.

---

"You cannot be serious!" Piper yelled, red in the face and her hands clenched into fists as she, her sisters, the Misfits handlers, Willow, Xander, Wood, Giles, General Hawk, and Professor Xavier stood in front of Agent Keyes and Inspector Sheridan in the San Francisco Police Headquarters less than an hour later. The other Slayers and mutants were not at the scene, but understandably, it was to be expected. And indeed, all of the police officers in the station were silently observing this showdown between the freaks and Agent Keyes and Inspector Sheridan. Faith was in handcuffs and being held between two burly officers, but the look of carefree assurance and smug smile on her face said otherwise.

"All those charges against Faith had been dropped. She served her time in jail already!" Xander yelled, heated.

"Surprisingly, those charges mysteriously came back up," Keyes said, throwing a smug look, "Murder, vandalism, breaking and entering, kidnapping…Faith Lehane has a rap-sheet as wide as the bay area itself, and I can see to it that your precious Slayer doesn't even make it through her jail sentence unless the Charmed Ones will be willing to…assist some friends of mine. It depends if you so-called good witches are willing to do whatever it takes to save your friend from serving three-consecutive life sentences."

"What?" Sheridan gasped, now horrified as she guessed what Keyes was leading to.

"What?" Paige said weakly, though Piper and Phoebe's collective eyes narrowed at the investigator from then Department of Homeland Security. They had a pretty good idea where this was heading (but they'd be damned if they were going to help Keyes get there).

Keyes then continued with snide superiority, holding out the trump card, "The federal government has been aware of your past activities for several years, Halliwells, and though it has been kept very clandestinely, you _have_ made mistakes. Needless to say, many of my superiors and fellow agents were naturally curious and eager to know how such talents and knowledge could be actually put to good use in protecting the United States and helping special interests in various agencies. We can offer you and your extended families protection. And make sure that your two children, Wyatt and Chris, won't have anything unpleasant happen to them and that your father, Sam, I believe his name is, won't suddenly find life difficult."

Her eyes blazing, Phoebe made a move to punch Keyes, but Blind Master and Willow held her back. Paige gritted her teeth as she inhaled through her nose sharply before saying, "And dare I ask what happens if we tell you to piss off?"

Keyes smile grew as he clarified, "I have powerful connections to those in the United States government that can make your lives very, _very_ difficult for you and your friends, Paige. Detective Morris will suddenly find it difficult to raise his family if he is somehow discharged from the force along with his need to declare bankruptcy, and I know several individuals in Social Security who will be very interested in seeing that Wyatt and Chris go to foster families to be raised under less hostile environments due to child-endangerment charges. And your poor father is already old, has a weak heart I believe. It'll be hard for him to survive and continue living if his savings are depleted, he's kicked out of his own apartment and is rendered a penniless vagrant, cut off from Medicare and his retirement pensions, especially if his assets and accounts are mysteriously frozen. And of course, that's without any guarantee that our agents and the police will be able to stop the Friends of Humanity and Stryker's Purity from acting of their own accords, especially when they target you and your associates in their witch-hunts, pun intended. And that's not including that your friendly delinquent, Faith, never seeing the light of day again, if she lives that long…"

Now Wood was ready to go kill Agent Keyes, and Low Light and Roadblock had to grab the African-American Watcher by the arms to prevent him from doing something he'd regret. Only Xander looked slightly lost.

"Uh…so what's he trying to say again?" the one-eyed youth asked, and Giles winced and bit his tongue, already starting to have a headache. But Shipwreck gracefully explained in layman's terms.

Shipwreck growled, "Blackmail. This asshole's trying to snowball the Charmed Ones into working for the federal government and the Initiative, or else he makes them and their families suffer."

"Any why do I get the feeling that there are a few questionable government superiors who are going to be extremely tempted to see how far the Halliwells' magic can take them?" Low Light rumbled, his eyes narrowing and his hands twitching with the urge to sock Keyes directly in the face. He was so tempted to release his hold on the seething Wood. Inspector Sheridan looked disgusted; yes, Faith Lehane was dangerous and deserved to be in jail because she still had not fully settled her past sentences (and this was in no way changing the system since her criminal history was valid), but this…

"Keyes, this is an outrage! You're making a fool of yourself and the law you stand for!" Sheridan heatedly retorted. Keyes coldly ignored her.

Agent Keyes then grinned, "And unless I'm mistaken…Wiccans cannot fight or use their powers to attack me or any police officer here in the station, not unless they want to lose their powers, all in the name of that piece of street trash. So, seems like you Halliwells are caught in a little dilemma, aren't you? You can't use your powers to break Faith out of jail or stop us from simply doing our jobs in apprehending criminals nor can you stop people from doing…unpleasant yet unexpected and tragic events in your associates' lives. You help me and my associates, and I'll see to it that no harm comes to Wyatt, Chris, Faith, or your friends and father. Refuse…and well, you can't hurt me, but I can make you three regret your decision."

"Keyes, that's enough!" Sheridan yelled, but then Giles and Willow smiled, and Keyes' face fell, not sure if he was enjoying the look of prepared satisfaction on the Watcher and witch's faces.

"Agent Keyes, look outside and tell me what you see," Giles requested, his voice aloof and yet respectfully tactful while he took off his glasses and began polishing one lens. It was remarkable that no matter what situation, Giles always managed to maintain a cool and calm demeanor.

"Like I'm going to fall for that oldest trick in the book, Watcher," snorted the government agent.

"Uh…Agent Keyes, you really need to come and see this," gulped Agent Roark, one of the few remnants of Keyes' men who managed to survive the battle at the Halliwell Manor with bruises and a broken arm as he looked out the window, and upon this statement, the rest of the officers followed suit. Bothered by the tone of fear in his subordinate's voice, both Keyes and Sheridan finally piqued their curiosity as they went to the window and peeked out of the blinds to see a rather surprising and daunting sight.

"What the hell?" hissed Agent Keyes in outraged and dawning horror.

Indeed, what the officers and federal agents were seeing was a huge, colossal, massive crowd of Slayer girls standing in a patient yet menacing manner alongside the rest of the Misfits and X-Men. Considering this was a throng of girls over three thousand, it filled the entire block, and many of the law enforcement agents could also see additional Slayers and a few mutants along waiting on the rooftops of the buildings nearby the police station. Though the street was filled with girls, the streets were completely devoid of any other civilians, and upon looking at both ends of the street, Sheridan saw why. There were tightly guarded blockades manned by soldiers from G.I. Joe themselves (probably General Hawk's work), and it was the Joes' efforts that prevents many mobs of people and reporters from entering into the street and gaping at the scene, providing a very noisy and fearful audience in the background. Inspector Sheridan and Agent Keyes had to admit that they had never seen so many young females gathered around in their entire lives. The three thousand plus Slayers were of different ethnicities and religions, ranging anywhere from Arabian and Moroccan to girls from Tasmania and the Canary Islands. Muslim, Buddhist, Catholic, Christian, and Hindu. It was a hodgepodge of girls and teenagers from all regions of the world, united as one to this street, like a Slayers' version of the United Nations.

But what made it more intimidating was that each and every one of the Slayers was armed with weapons. Swords, daggers, knives, spears, stakes, polearms, halberds, maces, wooden staffs, hammers, axes…every sort of blade and wooden implement imaginable, the Slayers girls were all armed to the teeth with them, the metal gleaming off the sunlight and their faces stoic and blank. The teenage X-Men and Misfits were standing among them along with Wolverine, Andrew, and Razor. Even the youngest ones, barely more than twelve or thirteen years of age, were expertly baring and wielding razor-sharp weapons like the most battle-hardened soldiers, betraying no emotion in their eyes or visages. Shannon and Kennedy were among the Slayers, Storm, and Beast stationed at the rooftops, all the Slayer girls armed with bows, crossbows, and a more than adequate supply of shafts.

Needless to say, the entire headquarters of the San Francisco police department were completely surrounded by Slayers. And they looked _extremely_ pissed off.

"Holy shit," breathed one of the officers in shocked apprehension.

Shipwreck grinned as he said, "We told them to wait for five minutes. If they don't hear from us, then all those girls come in and start fighting to make sure we leave this place with Faith."

Blind Master said smugly, "Four minutes, actually, and before you go for your guns, Willow just placed a spell on every firearm in the building so that you will not be able to use them. They will be phased into an unstable state where you will not even be able to grasp them physically."

"Damn, the Joe's right! We can't use them!" another officer exclaimed in horror as he tried to pick up his gun, only to discover that his hand went completely through it, like a ghost.

Giles' voice was now final with steel and dangerous detachment as he finished, "If **eight** Slayer girls can fight an entire army of vampires and warlocks, creatures that your men could barely hold off against, then I do not need to imply what a group of over **three-thousand** Slayers should be able to do to you and all the officers here in the station if you do not let Faith and the Charmed Ones go. And of course, because the Misfits and X-Men have made friends with the Slayers, it is only natural that they help defend one of our charges by any force necessary."

"It's your choice, Keyes," Wood growled, "And I doubt everyone in this building and city can be a match for a group of _very pissed_ mutants and Slayers and witches."

"Yeah, I think it's safe to say that it's not gonna help everyone's morale here if people learn that San Francisco's finest got their butts kicked by a group of girls," Xander remarked snidely.

Cover Girl's voice then got absolutely frigid as she said, "Remember, Keyes, Wiccans can't hurt you, but when you threaten one of their own, _the Slayers can hurt you_. Granted, they don't kill because they don't sink to your level, but I'd doubt that even the Thirteenth Order will be stupid enough to piss off an army of Slayers."

Keyes' eyes turned absolutely and brutally icy as he growled, "You think this will stop me? I had full authorization to do this! And if you think this sets me back, you freak lovers are a lot more stupider than you look! I've got connections, I've got the men, and I'll chase you and the Charmed Ones down if you even try stepping out of those doors!"

General Hawk then growled, "If you're referring to your authorization from General Eddington, I might want to inform you that when I checked, he disavowed any knowledge of meeting you or how you wished to utilize the Charmed Ones for agents in the Initiative."

"The Initiative?" Wood yelled in shock.

"So that's why he was so intent on trying to subdue the Charmed Ones!" Willow gasped in anger.

"And it's pretty easy to guess what creeps like this bastard in the Initiative would do with three very powerful white witches, huh?" Faith drawled with contempt as she indicated to Keyes with a nod of her head.

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Willow asked the general.

"I just found out. The Joe, Mainframe, just sent me the information before he arrived here, Willow," Hawk replied before he took out a manila envelope from the folds of his coat and tossed it onto the desk in front of Agent Keyes.

"What the hell is this, Hawk?" spat Keyes in fury, and the general of G.I. Joe regarded the federal agent with cold steel in his eyes, his jaw set.

"A summons to a military tribunal," Hawk returned in a even voice, "I have a few men and women who will be very interested to learn about why you screwed this up so badly, and it's not including evidence of you abusing your powers to forcefully coerce the Halliwells to work for your department and the Initiative, Keyes, and after this, I'll be banking that it's safe to say you're in deep trouble. You've already been dismissed from your post as head agent of the Department of Homeland Security, and as of this moment, you are no longer associated with the government. All powers and authorities made by you during this investigation have now been nullified and revoked."

Despite this, Sheridan had to smile at last.

The grizzled, bald man was now red in the face and livid as he snarled, "This hold nothing in court, Hawk! I had Eddington's approval and authorization, given personally by the General himself! There's a paper record and everything!"

"Funny thing that you should mention that. It was Eddington himself who signed the command for the military tribunal. And as for your paper records, I'm sorry to inform you that Eddington's secretary cannot find them nor can the federal bureau locate any physical proof of such authorizations," Hawk said simply.

Keyes was now murderous, shaking and apoplectic with rage, red in the face, as he then roared, "Bullshit, Hawk! You have no jurisdiction to do this to me! You mutie and witch lovers can't do this! **I have rights!** **_I'm a goddamned federal agent! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!_**"

"Looks like he just did," Spirit commented none too gently, glaring at Keyes.

Hawk looked at him before he growled, "It's over, Keyes. You're finished here…_permanently_."

"Officers, escort this **_civilian_** off police premises," Sheridan commanded in a steel tone as she pointed at Agent Keyes, finally taking command of the situation before it could get any more ugly.

"You can't do this me! This isn't finished Hawk! Not by a long shot!" Keyes hollered as he was forcefully removed by two officers. Sheridan indicated to the other officers to release Faith from her handcuffs before she coldly addressed the heroes.

"Take your delinquent slayer and leave, you freaks," Sheridan snapped, "Hurry, before we change our mind."

"You do not have to follow Keyes' ideals, Inspector Sheridan," the Professor frowned, starting to become annoyed.

"What, no apology for exposing us and ruining our lives?" spat Piper with bitterness.

Sheridan then glared at Piper before she said with unnerved steel, "You expect me to apologize for my actions? I may not like what Keyes did, but I have no regrets for exposing you and your sisters for the threats to society you really are. When it comes down to it, you may be protecting innocents, but you cause far too much damage for it to even be a good thing, for it to be even worth it. No matter how pure your intentions, you're as much of a threat and a menace as any that mocks all true enforcers of the law to even be good. You Charmed Ones are not for the law, so I know where we stand in this. I don't agree with Agent Keyes, but I sure as hell am not your friend like Morris is. You may be off the hook now, but I will be watching you closely in the future. This changes nothing between us. The minute you or your sisters do **_anything_** incriminating, I'm busting you three once and for all and throwing away the key."

KABOOM!

With a flick of her hand, Piper used her molecular combustion to destroy every piece of furniture in Sheridan's office, messily rendering it into a pile of splinted wood, shattered glass, and ashes. And since it wasn't for personal gain or to kill an innocent, it was considered abiding by the rules (though just barely beyond self-righteous)

"Be grateful I didn't do that to your head. And word of advice, Inspector: **don't piss of a witch**," Piper growled.

The blond-haired woman just crossed her arms coolly in front of her as she said with passive-aggressiveness, "I'll be sure to send you the bill for the repairs to my office, Mrs. Wyatt."

"Get in line along with the hundreds of other people trying to sue us," Phoebe spat with barbed insult as they all left, teleporting via the Mass Device.

---

Back at the Institute, all the Slayers and the mutant teenagers were celebrating Faith's pardon. The Joes were worriedly conversing with General Hawk however.

"At least it didn't go as badly as we expected," Cover Girl remarked, "I know Giles and the other Watchers wouldn't want the Slayers to injure and kill humans, not if it can be helped."

Hawk sighed before he explained his worries, saying, "True, but you're forgetting that Keyes said he got his authorization to go after the Charmed Ones from General Eddington, and though I couldn't find any proof that Eddington had given permission to the Department of Homeland Security, I don't think Keyes was lying."

"He wasn't," Blind Master said, "I could sense his emotions, his state of his feelings controlling the biological signals from his body. He truly did believe that Eddington said it was alright to expose the Halliwells."

Low Light pieced it together as he then said with a grimace, "So in other words, Eddington set up Keyes like the Hellfire Club and the Organization set up Jubilee and the Charmed Ones. Though Keyes was an idiot, Eddington saw that his interest in the Charmed Ones as a perfect window to gain the Nexus for the Inner Circle. Though Keyes really did have agendas for the witches to work for the Initiative, Eddington was more interested in using this as a tool to make things difficult and for us to play in Zankou and Blackheart's hands. In other words, Keyes was a pawn in this as much as we are."

"Geez, this just goes to show that the Hellfire Club and the Thirteenth Order are getting to be more cunning that we first thought. They really know how to play games," Shipwreck cursed.

"And what makes it worse is that the biggest game is yet to come during the Gathering," Hawk said with vexed thought.

Meanwhile, Lina was sitting by herself next to the roaring fireplace, her body cold and shivering despite the heat that was radiating around the living room. She was unconsciously rubbing her neck, flashing back to that moment when she nearly died under the lethal bite of the Turok-Han vampire. If it wasn't for…

"Lina…do you have a moment? I want to talk with you, if that's all right," asked a voice in English, and the insect-Misfit turned to see, to her surprise, the Chinese Slayer, Chao-Ahn, now speaking in perfect English. Dragonfly was shocked and stunned to say the least, but she quickly got over the jolt as she moved a bit from her position on the couch.

"Oh…uh, sure, I guess," the white-haired girl said hesitantly as she scooted over, allowing room for Chao-Ahn to sit by her. There was an awkward silence for several seconds before Lina coughed.

"Uh…Chao-Ahn, how is it that you can now speak English? I…Fred said that you could only understand Cantonese," Lina queried, and Chao-Ahn smiled before she tapped an electronic pendant with a white plastic covering attached around a silver chain hanging around her neck like a necklace.

"This was a gift from the X-Man, Farl…no Farge…no, wait…" the Slayer tried to explain, but realized that she was lapsing on the inventor's name, but Lina provided it helpfully.

"You mean, Forge," she supplied, smiling.

Chao-Ahn nodded as she said, "Yes, _Forge_. He made me a translator that instantly and automatically transforms all spoken words I speak into English, and in turn, this invention also translates to me all spoken words around me into Cantonese so that I may understand. Granted, I do not know the details of such complicated junk, but I am grateful he made it. Even Wood and Giles are starting to see the value, and have asked Forge to create more necklaces for the other Slayers back the academy."

"Ah," murmured Lina before she became quiet again. Chao-Ahn thankfully broke the tense and apprehensive moment as she spoke next.

"Lina…I wanted to talk with you because I want to assure you that nothing is going on between me and Fred."

Lina seemed less than willing to believe this as she said with some hurt and snubbed resentment, "If that was true, then he wouldn't constantly be hanging around you and being nice to you. It's obvious he likes you because he apparently now stopped realizing I even exist."

Now Chao-Ahn had her trademark, Oriental temper and fussiness springing out of her personality, and she knew her mother back at Shanghai would give her an ironic smile if she saw how much Chao-Ahn was acting like her whenever she nagged at her children. Chao-Ahn scolded, "So you think because Fred has feelings for you, he should completely dedicate himself to your needs and wants rather than to everyone else he cares about? You think it's selfish of Fred to want to have friends and spend time with others besides yourself and the other Misfits? You don't like it if Fred tries to make friends or acts nice to other girls because it makes you feel left out or jealous, even though you know perfectly well Fred isn't a flirt like Gambit or Quicksilver? **_If so, then you're not being a good friend to Fred._**"

Lina looked up, shocked at such a blatant accusation until Chao-Ahn clarified it.

"If you want a person's life to revolve around you, then that's selfish. And if you're jealous because Fred's being nice to me, it says a lot more about your character than his. Lina, I know you like Blob and I like him to, but not in the same way you like Fred or Bobby for that matter."

"I do **not** have a crush on Bobby! We're just friends because he's been nice to me and because we helped each other when the Furies attacked us!" protested Lina, her hands on her hips, but she felt her cheeks burn and redden slightly, and the Slayer noticed this with a deadpanned look.

"Fred said to me that he didn't blame you if you did," Chao-Ahn said with some sympathy, "Keep in mind, Lina, Fred's not the only one who's self-conscious about his appearance. You're not the only one with fears and issues about relationships."

Lina looked ashamed as she pondered this. The Slayer was right; she was being unreasonable. And if Chao-Ahn had feelings for Fred, then she wouldn't even be encouraging Lina to listen to her feelings and try spending more time with Blob in the first place.

Chao-Ahn then took Lina's hands in hers before she looked directly into Lina's green eyes before she got her point across.

"Look, if you like Fred, then spend time with him and tell him. It may work out, it may not. There will always be doubts about anything this important, so it's not unnatural. You may stay with Fred. You may go to Bobby. You may even go with someone completely different. But being afraid and not making a decision still counts as making a decision. And I don't think Fred will wait forever. And I also doubt you want to be trapped in a love triangle like Peter, Kitty, and Lance…or Spike, Angel, and Buffy, for that matter."

With that Chao-Ahn let go of Lina's hands and left, but Lina made no move to follow the Chinese girl as she just stood there, pondering. But before Chao-Ahn could completely disappear from the premises, Lina called out.

"Wait!"

Chao-Ahn turned around to see Lina pause before she gave a shaky and miniscule smile.

"Thanks," Lina finally answered.

Chao-Ahn smiled back as she replied before leaving, "You're welcome…"

Phoebe was sitting outside by the bay window of the kitchen until Jubilee, shaking, came up to her from the bushes, her eyes full of terror and fear. Phoebe didn't need her powers of premonition to see what was about to happen, and her brown eyes showed nothing but openness and understanding.

"Phoebe, I…"

Jubilee faltered, realizing that this was harder than she thought.

"I'm sorry for accusing you of murdering my parents, especially how you saved me from getting killed. I…I wish I could take it back and make up for everything I did. I'm so sorry. I wish…I just wish I wasn't so stupid."

The mutant girl then started crying again, and Phoebe helped her sit down on the stone bench next to her before she comforted Jubilation.

"Apology accepted, and I've done a few things I'm ashamed of too, Jubilee. Being a Queen of the Underworld, using some of my powers for personal gain only to lose them, and hey, my mother was killed by a warlock, and me and my sisters had to kill him as well in order to exact retribution and avenge our mother's demise. So, trust me when I understand why you acted the way you did. And no, I don't blame you, Jubilee. You didn't deserve to lose your parents like that, honey."

Jubilee wiped her eyes before she asked hoarsely, "You…forgive me? Just like that?"

"Just like that. And Sweetie, I think we got on the wrong foot…and I would like it if we tried starting over again," Phoebe said gently, brushing a few strands of hair from Jubilee's forehead.

The Chinese mutant smiled, wiping her eyes before she said, "I'd like that too, actually."

"No time like the present, then," Phoebe said automatically as she held out her hand for Jubilee to shake, "Hi, I'm Phoebe Halliwell. I have two sisters, an older and younger one, I work at the newspaper the Bay Mirror as a columnist, I'm a Wiccan who has the ability to see visions of the past and future and is a notch potion-maker, and I love kickboxing, Italian food, especially real Italian sausage, and I have the annoying habit of drinking milk from the carton."

The X-Girl was stunned for a moment before it dawned on her, and she smiled at last, not a smile of pure euphoria, but one of relief.

"Ewww, that last one is _so_ gross!" giggled Jubilee as she shook Phoebe's hand.

Phoebe grinned wryly as she said, "You should have seen how Piper takes it. Last time she caught me doing it, she screamed and ranted for a minute before she threatened to blow up the milk carton in my hands along with my lips if I ever tried that again. Apparently, I didn't think how my germaphobic sister would handle my mouth on the family milk."

Jubilee then decided to return it after some thought, "Um…OK, I'm Jubilation Lee, but my friends call me Jubilee. I'm a mutant that can make explosive bits of plasma energy like fireworks, I'm an only child but Wolverine, the gruff hairy guy with the metal claws who keeps calling your sister Piper, 'a real bitch'…uh, no offense."

"Are you kidding? If me and Paige only had a nickel each and every time an enemy, one of the Whitelighters, or Gideon called her _that_ one!" Phoebe chortled.

"**_I HEARD THAT, PHOEBE HALLIWELL!_**" yelled Piper in extreme annoyance through the Institute's kitchen window, indicating that she overheard Phoebe's little slip-up. Jubilee giggled despite herself, and Phoebe had no choice but to join her, laughing. It was wrong, but it felt so good.

"And I love gymnastics, Chinese and Mexican food, and…um, well, I snore. And one time, I caught Bobby playing a tape recording of my snoring to the other New Mutants before the Sentinel exposed us. Needless to say, Bobby needed a new tape recorder as well as a few bandages when I was done with him," Jubilee giggled.

"You know, I like you, Jubes. You remind me of my younger self," Phoebe said warmly, giving the teenager around the shoulders with a compassionate and enveloping arm.

"Then can you teach me how to kick demon butt and use a sword like you did in the last battle with the Turok-Han?" Jubilee asked eagerly, grinning widely, and Phoebe flinched at the thought.

"I think Mr. Logan will want my head if I even considered giving one of Xavier's students a weapon."

Meanwhile, after her outburst at her younger sister's crack, Piper wandered out aimlessly to get some fresh air outside in the Institute's gardens…and to get out of the many glares she was receiving from all three groups in the X-Mansion. As much as she hated being on the receiving end of many of the teenagers from both the X-Men and the Misfits and Blind Master (who, despite being blind, absolutely made her shiver under his death glower), Piper knew that she deserved it. And as much as she appreciated Paige and Phoebe telling the mutants and the Slayers that she was regretful, apologizing for their sister's behalf, Piper still felt a bit of anger and blame towards General Hawk, Batman, and Jubilee. Granted, she was grateful that they helped fight to protect her and her family, but it wasn't easy to not think dark thoughts of cheated misery when you lost your home and are now under scrutiny of the general public, your life in shambles. Leo and Phoebe encouraged Piper to forgive and understand that the Hellfire Club and Organization used all of them and manipulated the situation, so that it was of no one's fault since they were misled. Piper felt she needed some time and solitude and thought before she could ever remember them without some hatred.

It was unfair and unreasonable, but Piper wasn't willing to feel very fair right now. It was only human.

But then she remembered that she owed one apology to at least one person, and this thought came to her when she stopped suddenly in the midst of her walk to see, to her surprise, Whitelighter trying to practice his telekinetic orbing on a bed of wild roses in the garden, all of them aromatic and a plethora of colors, Ororo's pride and joy.

"Rose!" Justin called out, holding his hand.

Nothing happened.

"Rose!" Justin called out, a little more frustrated and blushing.

All the flower heads just swayed softly in the night wind and moonlight. Justin thought for a minute before he remembered what Paige lectured to him in the battle, and he closed his eyes and concentrated, picturing a white rose in his mind, before he took a deep breath.

"_White rose!_" the teenager called out, and this time, a white rose in full bloom disappeared in a mess of lights before orbing into Justin's hand directly. The teen was immediately ecstatic.

"Oh…wow! I did it! I actually did it! _I did it!_" Justin marveled, almost squealing.

Piper coughed, and it got Justin's attention as he looked up.

"Oh," the teen squeaked, surprised before he became a bit intimidated at the sight of Piper. The eldest Halliwell then realized that the adolescent was still slightly fearful of her.

"Um…I'm sorry, I'll leave," Justin said quickly, gulping, as he tried to scurry away, but Piper called out.

"No…don't go, please," she called out before she took a deep breath and steadied herself before she asked jadedly, "Could I talk to you? Please? I…I need to say some things that need to be said."

Justin's eyes softened a bit, and he obliged as both he and Piper sat on one of the garden's benches. There was a tense silence (partly because Justin was still a bit nervous and because Piper was still ashamed of her previous behavior) before Justin, out of the fact that he had no idea what to do or say, weakly just offered the rose he had orbed to Piper, who accepted it numbly.

"I think you could use it more than me. After all, you lost your home and nearly had you son get killed. Kinda pales in comparison," Justin said before his face grew serious, remembering the things he had to endure hearing in San Francisco.

Piper nodded, touched at the thoughtfulness. Paige repeatedly told her that Justin was nothing like Gideon; and it further embarrassed her that she didn't listen or accept it as the truth. The Wiccan then broke the ice first.

"I…I wanted to apologize for how I acted, especially to you. I'm sorry I misjudged you and how I slapped you and…well, I regret saying all those insults and horrible things about you ever since you…you healed Chris."

Piper was starting to cry at the memory of Chris' limp body against her own, her son's skin burned to a lethal and deadly extreme from Galatea's fire-wings, and if it wasn't for the Misfit, Chris would have never lived. She wiped her cheeks hurriedly before continuing.

"I was wrong, **so** wrong. You saved my son's life, even…even after I said all those mean things to you and after I hit you for no reason except the fact that you're Gideon's son. It's just…it was so much easier to blame you for what went wrong rather than accepting that I was being so stubborn and that I didn't want to involve myself or my family into a fight that I felt wasn't ours."

Piper sniffed a bit, feeling her nose run, before she then said, "I'm so sorry how I acted to you. Can you ever forgive me?"

Justin nodded heavily as he said, "Apology accepted, Mrs. Wyatt. And if it makes you feel any better, I'm used to it."

Piper looked at Justin something akin to shock and disbelief at the tired acceptance in his voice. She blurted out, "That still doesn't make what I said nor did right, Justin."

"I never said it was all right. I _said_ that I'm used to it, that's all," Justin said wearily, but there was a hint of a sad smile of his face, letting Piper know that he wasn't irritated.

Piper looked at Whitelighter inquisitively, and Justin's mouth grew into a flat line. He partially explained, "Being Gideon's son didn't do me any favors, Mrs. Wyatt."

"Call me Piper, please, Justin. Hearing Mrs. Wyatt makes me feel older than I already am," the Halliwell groaned, but she felt pained at that one sentence. She also then remembered Paige telling her that Gideon didn't do what was right to Justin either, and her previous thoughts of how Justin was nothing more than a selfish, whiny, pampered brat made her feel like kicking herself for being so obstinate at not listening to the entire story. And from the tone of his voice, Justin wasn't really in the mood to elaborate, and she respected that unsaid request for privacy.

There was a small pause before Piper spoke again.

"I'm sorry about that," she whispered.

Justin actually smiled at the memory of Allo, the Dinosaucers, Blind Master, and the Misfits as he clarified, "Don't be, Piper. In a weird way, I have an adoptive dad and a family who love me very much, and the Misfits became a second family once I learned that I was a mutant. And Blind Master is a great teacher and guardian. He saved my life. So in a weird way, Gideon's…vendettas kind of caused me to have some people I really love and care about in my life."

"Still, I…I would like to make it up to you - "

Justin's voice was tired as he said gently, shooting down the offer, "You really can't fully make up for something like that, Piper."

That was true, and though it was harsh, Piper could tell that the mutant adolescent didn't mean it as a malicious retort but as fact. And saying that she wished Justin never born, that the Oath of Abraham was wasted on his life, and for slapping him certainly couldn't be truly be erased and made up by a simple token or an apology. Piper felt her shame come back, two-fold, and the guilt was nearly constricting her throat. Still, she managed to somehow find her voice.

"I still want to try, if you'd let me and my sisters attempt to, Justin," Piper said softly before she paused and then said with great delicacy, "I…I also know about your mother, Justin. About, how she died giving birth to you."

Justin stiffened before his eyes became gloomy at the reminder as he looked at the ground, focusing on his sneakers.

"Who told you?" he asked quietly, but Piper was relieved that he wasn't hostile at her knowing. But what pained her was the look of sorrow on Whitelighter's face; apparently, he still carried some hurt over never knowing his mother.

"All the Misfits, actually," Piper admitted, "They and Blind Master kind of really let me have it with the guilt trip by telling me how you were an orphan and how you suffered a lot of abuse at Gideon's hands. They didn't give me the details, and all I know is that you were under some sort of curse, but other than that, I don't know anything else except the fact that I'm surprised the Misfits haven't done worse to me."

"The night's still young, Piper," Justin said with some amusement, exhaling through his nose.

Piper then continued, sympathizing, "I know how you feel. I…lost my mother and my older sister as well, both of them to demon attacks. But, I'm sorry about that, about how you were practically an orphan and had no one to raise you, and I thought…well, I thought perhaps if you would be willing, me and my sisters could give you one moment to talk with your mother."

This got Justin's attention as he looked up at the white witch, startled.

"How?"

"Our Book of Shadows," Piper explained, "We can't raise the dead or break the rules of life and death itself, but we can communicate and summons the spirits of the dead to talk and communicate with us. Normally, we have only done it with fellow witches, but we can contact **any** living being in the spiritual plane if we truly wished to. Granted, we've never known your mother, but we have the ability to…well, summon her from the afterlife just for several minutes so that you could have a moment to talk with her, to see what she was like and to hear her tell you things she always meant to. Justin…I want to give you a chance to see your mother."

Justin just stared off into space, his heart beating. It was what he wanted…wasn't it?

His thoughts then drifted off to Allo and the Dinosaucers, to General Hawk and the Joes, and to the Misfits and the X-Men. As much as he would have loved to meet his mother, truthfully, it wasn't that unbearable, and he did have a large enough family (and enough insanity) that was enough to take away the real sting of the sadness. To tell the truth, ever since he joined the Misfits, he rarely pondered over it. And unlike some people, Whitelighter never saw someone die in front of his eyes (though Allo was a close one, he was healed in the end).

Justin remained silent until he realized he couldn't accept the gift on his behalf.

"Actually…Piper, don't get me wrong. I…I want to use the gift…**a lot**…"

Piper blinked, puzzled, and Justin sighed heavily, a part of him wishing he could just accept it without argument or conflict of emotion.

"…but I think that there's two people who can use it more than me."

Meanwhile, Kurt and Willow were chatting animatedly in Xavier's office as Xavier, Ororo, and Hank were listening and smiling at the one moment of peace after a long battle, all five of them sipping from additional cups of cocoa. It wasn't hard to like Willow after a few minutes of meeting her, and indeed, it was easy to see why Kurt was so fond of the red-haired witch. And indeed, Professor X and the other two adults grew to enjoy the Scooby's company as well. Hank was quite surprised and pleased to learn that Willow was actually quite intelligent, practically at a genius level, and her knowledge of literature, physics, and history (especially the Renaissance) made the blue-furred teacher wish that Willow had been one of his students. To Hank, it would have been impossible to have been bored by her incessant talking.

Kurt was exhaling after the five of them reminisced, "_Mein Gott!_ Already, in less than two months, we've had to fight a Demon Lord, a bunch of vampires and warlocks, Heartless, and an evil clone that harnesses the Phoenix Force! I'm actually beginning to wish I stayed in the monastery and continued my training to be a priest if I knew that being an X-Man would be this insane!"

Willow's eyes went wide as she heard this before she asked, "A priest? You? In…in the Catholic Church? Um…it was Catholic, right?"

"I can see why you'd think that because I look like this," Kurt replied easily enough as he wiggled his three fingers on one hand, "But despite my appearance, most of the Fathers who have taught and raised me along with my adoptive parents had any big issues with my being a mutant. Yeah, there were one or two who didn't want me around, but all in all, they were incredibly accepting."

"Even though you're part demon?" Willow gasped, incredulous and not sure if she was believing what she was hearing.

There was a flabbergasted silence as Kurt did a double take, and Professor Xavier's eyes went wide with surprise and discomfort along with Hank and Ororo's eyes. Kurt's eyes were glazed for a moment before he then started guffawing, thinking that Willow was playing a joke on him.

"Wah ha ha ha!" Kurt chortled, wiping his eyes, "Good one, Willow! You know how to make a convincing joke! Wah ha ha ha ha!"

But the laughter died in his throat when he saw that Willow wasn't laughing, and upon glancing at Hank, Ororo, and Xavier, the three instructors of the Institute were sharing some guilty looks towards one another.

"Um…actually, Kurt," Willow piped up a bit nervously, not sure how well this would be taken, "you're part demon. I can sense it with my magical auras. It's faint…but there's no question about it. You have demon blood in your veins, and trust me, I've fought and encountered enough demons to recognize the supernatural signature of anything dark or belonging from another world."

Kurt was trying to vainly smile, though it was rather unsuccessful as he exclaimed, "Willow, I assure you I'm a mutant! That's why I look like this! I was experimented on by Magneto and Mystique, the shape-shifter who is also a world terrorist, was my mother! I mean, I'm no demon! It's impossible! Right Professor?"

Kurt turned to Xavier for confirmation, and he suddenly felt his smile freeze on his face when the Professor rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling very hot underneath his shirt collar.

"_Right, Professor?_" Kurt tried again, and now his voice was wavering, a bit fearful and completely desperate for a confirmation that Willow was wrong.

The Professor then decided it was the best time to come clean about Matt Burke and his real identity as the demon, Azazel.

"Kurt," Xavier said calmly in a soothing voice, but wincing nonetheless, "There is something you should know…"

Several minutes later, after Kurt was told about his demon lineage with a Demon Lord of darkness from another dimension…

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_**" screamed Nightcrawler shrilly enough for half of the neighborhood to hear him.

Willow was then heard frantically trying to soften her earlier revelation with some encouragement, but in the midst of her babbling, she actually was making things a bit more unbearable for the blue-furred X-Man.

"No, no, no, Kurt! I didn't mean it as a bad thing! You're only **part** demon, so it's not a completely bad thing! You're also part human, so it's really that you're a mutant who _also_ has demon blood, so it's not all bad!" Willow protested.

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_**" screamed Kurt again, this time pulling his hair and nearly yanking it out by the roots.

"Uhhh….I mean, I mean, it's all good! Being part demon is nothing to be ashamed of! It's not a bad thing at all, I mean! We've known some good demons and vampires and werewolves who fought with us against evil. Although to be fair, they also ended up being evil for some time and we had to be forced to fight and kill them due to circumstances beyond our control," Willow tried again.

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_**"

"It's not a bad thing, Kurt! So you're related to a demon! It's not really the worst thing! I mean, there are worse things to be related to, and it's not like you're related to a mass murderer or some terrorist bent on ruling the world!"

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_**" Kurt screamed even louder.

"This is one of those times when I really **shouldn't** have opened my big mouth, wasn't it?" Willow was overheard murmuring sheepishly and apologetically to the three elders, wincing at the sound of the blue-furred mutant hollering his lungs out. Storm rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"Yes, child, it was," she highlighted, her voice on edge. And in no time at all, thanks to Multiple, who somehow got wind of it, and his MNN connections, everyone knew about Kurt being one-fourth demon and how Matt Burke, the secret agent from A.U.N.T.I.E, was really a Demon Lord.

**Author's Notes: Note, in this timeline, the other X-Men, save the adults, didn't even know the truth about Matt Burke yet, so I hope this clears up any confusion! And be prepared for next Friday, folks! The final chapter is titled, "It Is Coming" and we find out not only a new romance and a new life for our favorite Slayers and witches, but the bad guys' plots with the Gathering and a surprise guest character will cement what I have been building up to more the past year! Folks, you won't want to miss this one for it will reveal the next crossover with the Misfits! Until them, read and enjoy! Constructive criticism welcome, and please excuse any mistakes in spelling I may have missed! Enjoy and see you next week!**


	13. It Is Coming

**CHAPTER 13: It Is Coming**

"Kurt, it's not that bad," Vi tried to console the X-Man as she, Leo, and Caridad sat next to the dejected and desolate Nightcrawler on the couch, patting his shoulders and back in an attempt to cheer the teenager up. Kurt inwardly swore that the next person to tell him those exact words, no matter who it was, was going to get a punch to the face. After Jamie blabbed it all throughout the mansion (and Kurt made a mental note to kill Multiple when the adolescent slept), it never seemed to end as Misfit after X-Man after Joe to even Wood and Giles and the Charmed Ones offering their condolences about Kurt being quarter-demon and trying to vainly cheer him up.

However, like Willow's attempts when she first accidentally let it slip, all the attention actually made him feel worse.

"You know, it's not uncommon for demons to fight for the side of good. Remember what Giles and Wood told you, Kurt: it's not who you are that defines you, but it's the decisions that you make that determine you path in life. Of course, Phoebe said the same thing about Balthezor when he was Cole, and he still ended up betraying us regardless how hard he tried to make the right choice…" Leo said before realizing he was trailing off towards the last thing the mutant boy wanted to hear.

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_**" Kurt screamed again, this time burying his face into a pillow to muffle the volume and intensity of the yelling. Caridad made a groan of annoyed and irritated exasperation as she punched Leo on the arm, causing him to yelp and rub it hurriedly (getting a punch from a Slayer was not something to be trifled with).

"Nice going, Leo. Why not just call the local church in her Bayville and order an exorcism while letting Pat Robinson know that one of the X-Men was sired by a Demon Lord? I'm pretty sure it'll be _less_ stupid," she snapped rather waspishly.

"Not to worry, we've got just the thing to get good ol' Nightcrawler!" Xander declared as he, Ray, Andrew, and Xi popped up and rushed to him with gleeful grins on their faces, "Just leave it to us super-geeks and nerd-extraordinaires!"

"C'mon, Kurt, ol' buddy!" Andrew grinned as Ray and Xander took the elf-like X-Man by the arms, "Nothing in the world can help you more to get over the fact that you're part demon that a good session of Dungeons and Dragons! And _this_ one will be an extra-long one, just for you! And you can be Dungeon Master this time!"

Kurt grumbled sarcastically as he was led away, "Oh sure, Dungeons and Dragons solves **everything**! Are you bored? Play Dungeons and Dragons. Your girlfriend's parents hate you? Play Dungeons and Dragons. Got a failing grade on a major test? Play Dungeons and Dragons. Got rejected for the school dance? Play Dungeons and Dragons. Been told you have a terminal illness? Play Dungeons and Dragons. The end of the world is approaching? Play Dungeons and Dragons. Found out that you came from a family of ancient demons that have tried to take over the world and that your family tree now includes Pietro, Mystique, Magneto, _and_ a Demon Lord? **_Play friggin' Dungeons and Dragons!_** Oh dear Father in Heaven, why doesn't someone just carve the word '_loser_' on my forehead while we're at it? **_And don't even try it Xi!_**"

"Then why did you even ask then, Kurt?" Xi grumbled as he sheathed his knife back into the holder strapped around his waist, disappointed that he wouldn't get the chance to use it. Suddenly, Xi saw Rina approach him from the side, smiling. Xi actually stopped in his tracks before Ray called out to him.

"Hey, Xi, hurry up! Xander and Andrew already have the costumes ready!" Ray called out.

"I am _not_ wearing that stupid hat! I want to keep _some_ shred of my dignity left!" Kurt could be heard protesting from the kitchen.

"But it's an unwritten rule! Every Dungeon Master has to wear the hat, and we haven't even gotten to the beard, robe, and Staff of Venger you're supposed to raise up and down each time we roll the dice!" Xander was heard arguing back.

"I'll be there in a minute, Ray! So what's wrong, Rina? Why are you so happy?" Xi asked when he turned his attention back to his friend. Rina grabbed Xi's hands before pulling him towards the garage of the Institute.

"I want to show you Wolverine's new bike! Razor and Forge amplified it to have hidden laser cannons and secret compartments for weapons and gadgets for evasive tricks!" Rina said excitedly, "I thought you might want to see it because I know how much you love weapons! C'mon! There's no one in the garage at this time, so we'll have it all to ourselves!"

"Uh…why do you wish for that, Rina?" Xi asked in a rather befuddled way as he was dragged off. Rina just gave the green lizard a secretive and obvious smile as they ran for the garage.

Caridad and Vi watched this from the couch, silent for a while before Vi remarked, deadpanned, "Xi cannot possibly be **this** naïve."

"Give him some grace and credit," Caridad snickered, "After all, Althea told me Xi was raised in a lab as a genetic experiment, taught and conditioned to be an assassin, and is asexual, so unlike most of the guys here, his brain isn't dominated by any hormones."

Suddenly, their talk was cut off by two shrill screams of horror from Rona and Sam from the laundry room at the west wing of the first floor of the mansion before Caridad and Vi saw Rona and Sam half-sobbing and half-babbling in complete, terror-stricken gibberish, white in the face and acting as if they saw a ghost. Dana was walking behind them with a look of exasperation and disbelief, his arms crossed over her chest and looking at the X-Man and Slayer with commiseration.

"Honestly, will you two just get over it? It's not like we haven't seen worse!" Dana griped, already annoyed at the melodrama.

"Oh God, the image is burned in my brain! That is absolutely the sickest thing I could have ever seen! And I have to work with them! I'll _never_ see them the same way ever again!" Rona hollered, clutching her temples, her eye twitching.

"Unclean! **_Unclean!_** Our washer and dryer are soiled! Oh my God, we're gonna need to disinfect the whole room after we scrub our eyes out with steel wool!" Sam wailed miserably, rubbing his eyes furiously as if trying to claw them out. Vi looked at Dana with a bothered glance.

"Dare I ask?" the redhead queried.

"Faith and Wood, doing the biological-tango, in the X-Men's laundry room, actually _on top_ of the washing machine. And I have to say this about Wood: he _really_ doesn't care about hard surfaces being bad for your back," Dana explained as Rona and Sam both let out a simultaneous squeal implying that the two of them would probably need a lot of therapy after witnessing this.

"You're taking it rather well, Dana," Leo remarked with a raised eyebrow at the casual tone in the Slayer's voice as if it was the most natural and commonplace thing to see every day.

The scarred, brown-haired Slayer just shrugged noncommittally, saying, "Meh, I've seen and dealt with worse. Besides, it kinda makes me happy to know that there are screwed up people more disturbing and psychotic and spontaneous than I'll ever be."

"Gee and to think that Giles was wondering if we would be having trouble adapting to the insanity the X-Men and Misfits bring with them," Vi giggled as Rona then began pounding her head against the wall, trying to see the hard way if she could induce self-inflicted, selective amnesia.

While this was happening, Jubilee was contemplating about the various things and how her life had dramatically changed within these past few weeks while sitting and staring aimlessly in her room she would currently be sharing with Rina. There was a knock on the door, and the Chinese mutant looked up to see a worried yet caring Bobby, for once acting completely serious which was a drastic change from his usual goofy and playful personality.

"Hey Jubilee," Bobby said with some worry, "You all right? Hanging in there?"

Jubilee smiled; it felt good to see her friend again.

"I guess so," Jubilee said, "I mean, I may have lost my parents, but in a strange way, it feels really good to be back here again, among you guys. I…I missed all of you, very much so. And it feels sort of weird, to now have Wolverine as my official guardian and Rina as my sister…but I know I'm safe and I can trust them. X23, I need to establish a relationship and build a new bond with her since we'll be sharing the same parent, and though it won't be easy, Logan gave both me and Rina a long talk, and we agreed to give it a chance and let things happen naturally. And if anything, Rina said that she doesn't resent Logan adopting me since she knows what it's like to not have a parent, and she wouldn't wish that pain and loneliness on anyone. So, I'm doing as well as can be expected, really."

"That's good," Bobby said as he sat on the bed next to Jubilee, "We were all worried for you, and we're just glad everything got settled more or less. And hey, we're here for you too, Jubilee, especially me."

Jubilee's eyes crinkled with touched emotion before she decided to tell Bobby her decision, letting him down gently after what a lot of the X-Men and Misfits had told her about bobby's concern for her during this entire ordeal.

"Bobby," Jubilee began as she gently took Iceman's hand in hers, "I…I think you're a really sweet guy, and despite all the pranks and annoying things you do to all of us, all for some laughs, you really are a good and reliable friend who's deeper and more kindhearted than a lot of us ever know about. I'm really touched at that you're so empathetic and anxious about my sake, but right now, I need a family and not a boyfriend. I don't blame you for wanting to be there to comfort me and be my rock during this, but I'm not ready to look for a boyfriend and continue the crush you had on me while I was at the Institute before I left after the Sentinel incident."

Bobby then had the greatest expression of confusion, shock, and puzzlement on his face as he had absolutely no idea what Jubilee was talking about. Amid the _what-the-heck_ manifestation, Bobby could only dumbly utter, "HUH?"

Jubilee explained, "Lina and some of the girls explained to me how you went out of your mind with worry after I ran away from you guys after trying to kill Phoebe Halliwell, and how you kept trying to accuse the Charmed Ones of murdering my parents and how you even had the guts to argue against Batman to defend my honor. Kitty and Amara especially told me how you wanted to chase and scour the entire city after me because you were worried that I'd get hurt and killed. Bobby, you don't need to hide the truth from me. I know you still have feelings for me, and that you were so worried because you still had a crush on me."

"HUH?" Bobby uttered again, his face frozen and his jaw dropping. This was completely **not** what he was feeling! Granted, Jubilee was right that he had a crush on her during the early days of the New Mutants over at the Institute, and he still kept in touch with Jubilee for a while via e-mail and letters when she left the mansion. But ever since his parents disowned him and when Lina stepped into the picture, Bobby was only upset and bothered on Jubilee's half because she was a friend. Now that he had feelings for Dragonfly, he didn't even consider Jubilee in a relationship-sense.

Jubilee was completely misinterpreting Bobby's feelings the wrong way.

Jubilee laid a hand on Bobby's face tenderly as she finished, "Look, you deserve a girl who doesn't have the issues I'm going through right now, and I'm still grieving over my parents and adjusting to my new life back at the Institute, so please, just listen: I still love you like a brother and I think you're one of the best friends I could ever ask for during this, and I want our friendship to continue that way. But…I don't want to see you as a boyfriend, and I doubt I'd ever will. I just need to sort out my life, and that has priority right now, and Bobby, I'll always treasure our friendship and how we're teammates. But I don't want to continue what we had in the past because I'm over that now. I'm sorry if you're feeling hurt right now - "

"I'm not hurt! Jubes, you're making a mistake! I don't have a crush on you anymore!" Bobby protested. Jubilee just smiled, wiping her eyes; Bobby was trying to make her feel better by pretending it didn't bother him, just so that he can ease her guilt. He was so gallant and thoughtful.

"Thanks, Bobby, for trying to pretend, but it's OK. I don't blame you if you feel hurt about it, and if you need some time after this, I really understand. But if anything, I'm glad we're still friends, right?"

"Of course we're still friends, Jubilee, but you're totally missing the - !" Bobby began, but Jubilee shushed him by kissing him chastely on the cheek.

"Thanks, Bobby, and you don't have to pretend and hide your feelings. You really do deserve a girl out there, and I know you'll make her very happy," and with that, Jubilee left to the living room to say good-bye to the Slayers before they left the Institute. Bobby just stood there, flabbergasted, his jaw dropping up and down like a goldfish, wondering how the conversation went completely the wrong way, the furthest from the truth.

What the hell just happened?

"Jubilee, wait! You've got it all wrong!" Bobby yelled as she rushed outside her room, but he collided into the muscular and broad chest of Wolverine as he just stepped in his path, his face stern but Bobby was also shocked to see a small smile on the grizzled X-Man's face.

"Hold it Ice-Cube, I know you're worried about her, but she already made her point, and you already told her that you are still friends with her, so just leave it at that," Logan said.

"But – but – but she's got it all wrong!" Bobby tried to explain.

Logan pretended to be sympathetic, albeit in a mocking and dry manner, as he patted Bobby on the shoulder, commiserating, "Ah, look on the bright side, Ice-Cube. Better the Firecracker breaks up with you now than having to date her with me as her official guardian. Trust me, if you thought I'm gonna kill that lizard, Xi, for trying to get friendly with Rina, imagine how many vital body parts you'd lose had you and Jubilee continued to become more than friends. Best for your sake and for hers if you two break up now."

"We did **not** break up, Mr. Logan!" Bobby protested heatedly.

Logan just smirked, not buying the defensive protest as he walked away, chuckling, "That's just the denial talking, Ice-Cube."

"**_But we didn't!_**" gasped Bobby, only to see that Logan wasn't listening any more as he walked towards the garage to try out his new motorcycle implementations that Forge and Razor had designed for him. Bobby groaned and cradled his head in his hands. How else could this possibly get worse?

"Bobby, are you all right?" Ororo asked as she stepped up from behind and laid a gentle hand on the student's shoulder, startling him from his weariness, "Child, I have just heard the news, and I wanted to let you know that if you need anything, you are free to talk to Charles or me for some consoling and a sympathetic ear. And Bobby, do cheer up: breaking up with Jubilee is not the end of the world."

Bobby's eyes widened as he garbled, "But – what – but – **we didn't** – how – who - ?"

Ororo smiled as she explained, "Jamie was eavesdropping and is now telling everyone he can about Jubilee breaking up with you and trying to let you down gently because she needs to sort out her life. By now, I daresay even some of the Slayers will know of this."

Bobby's eye twitched as his teeth clenched painfully on one side of his jaw.

"**_Oh really?_**" Bobby hissed murderously before he did an about-face and starting marching to his bedroom, "Excuse me a minute, Storm. I need to go get my glovatrix for some target practice…"

Meanwhile, Willow, Professor Xavier, and Kennedy were witnessing an interesting turn of events between Hank McCoy and Rupert Giles…

"Bloody yank!" Giles roared, swinging an umbrella he managed to steal from the hallway pegboard.

"Stubborn old goose!" Hank growled as he deftly caught the umbrella before neatly sidestepping and tripping Giles with his foot.

"Uncouth, hackneyed ruffian!" Giles snapped as he quickly got to his feet before delivering a back push-kick into Beast's stomach, surprisingly knocking the wind out of Hank. Despite his librarian appearance, the Watcher was actually quite strong for his age.

"Ungrateful, narrow-minded jerkwad!" Beast growled before he grabbed Giles into a fierce bear-hug, pinning the Watcher's arms to his side. Giles considered using his knee into Beast's sensitive area, but decided against it and chose the option to ram his head into Hank's forehead directly, causing the both of them to see stars.

"Say it! Take it back, you philistine!" Giles threatened as grabbed Hank in a headlock and suckered punched the blue-furred X-Man in the stomach.

"Never! Whitman is infinitely better than anything you stuffy Brits could come up with!" Beast snarled as he managed to judo-throw Giles off him before he tackled the Watcher out of the view of the doorway in a fabulous tackle that only professional football players could attempt. There were several more crashes and rounds of cursing that really shouldn't be put into writing.

"Dare I ask?" Professor X groaned as he turned to Kennedy and Willow, "Or do I need to use my telepathy to stop them from killing each other?"

"Beast and Giles kinda got into a debate over Shakespeare and Walt Whitman, arguing which had a better sense of prose and verse and artistic imagery in poetry. Needless to say, it kinda got a little ugly," Willow said with a wince.

There was a loud crash from the hallway before Chao-Ahn and Shannon's heads popped up from the doorway and addressed Charles Xavier, a bit sheepish.

"Uh…Professor Xavier?" Chao-Ahn asked delicately, using the translator Forge made for her, "By any chance, was that chandelier in the main foyer expensive?"

There was a falsetto scream of pain from Hank, and Shannon and Chao-Ahn looked back behind them at the scene. Shannon winced.

"Ouch, poor Mr. McCoy. Giles used his knee **that** time," Shannon remarked.

"BOW YOUR HEAD, YOU INSOLENT PUP!" roared Hank, managing to forget his crippling agony.

"NEVER, YOU SCANDALOUS KNAVE!" Giles bellowed as the crashes and sounds of things breaking only intensified.

Then Willow and Kennedy heard a scream of terror from the garage section of the X-Mansion before they saw the Misfit, Xi, darting past the window.

"_Help!_" screamed a very frantic and terrified Xi as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him while a seething Wolverine (who was actually frothing in one corner of his mouth) chased after him, with his claws drawn and ready for evisceration while Rina was chasing after Logan, screaming in annoyance.

"**Come back here, ya' mangy lizard!**" Logan roared, his eyes glowing red, "Kiss my daughter, will you? Well, in return, you can start kissing all your vital organs good-bye!"

"Dad, if you hurt Xi, I'll **never** speak to you, again!" X23 hollered with ire.

"It's a small price I'm willing to pay, Rina!" Logan decided instantly as he continued chasing the lizard Misfit who was still screaming bloody murder.

"It was not his fault! I'm the one who asked him to come with me! **I** was the one who wanted him to kiss me!" Rina yelled furiously.

"Any chance we can still join in on the pool between Rina, Xi, and Wolverine?" Kennedy asked Pietro. The speedster grinned as he took out a notepad and a pencil.

"So far, the options are: Wolverine will back out and let Xi and Rina get together, Wolverine will die of a brain aneurism or a heart attack when Rina and Xi do get together, or Wolverine will need to be tried for homicide when he kills Xi before he and Rina can get anything serious," Pietro cackled.

"Put me fifty for the homicide, Quicksilver," Kennedy grinned as she handed the albino Misfit a few bills, "This'll be the easiest bet I'll ever win."

"Oh, don't be so pessimistic, Kennedy," Willow scolded gently, "Wolverine may be a bit temperamental, but deep down, he's got a heart of gold, and I'm sure he'll be gracious enough to see Xi and Rina's relationship for what it is and will accept it with loving arms."

Pietro and Kennedy shared a look of doubtful disbelief.

"Hopeless romantic?" Quicksilver asked, deadpanned.

"Oh yeah," Kennedy sighed, rolling her eyes.

Meanwhile, Althea and Todd were actually, out of all places to have a private moment over at the Institute for the Gifted, on the roof of the mansion, enjoying the sunset casting rosy peach and orange tones of soft and warm colors throughout the sky. Considering the amount of yelling and fighting and things breaking (and a good portion of it _not_ caused by Trinity, surprisingly), Todd wanted to just spend some time with Althea just to talk, especially after a harrowing battle with the Heartless and magical evil creatures. And additionally, he had an alternative reason why he wanted to speak to Althea alone and without prying eyes…

"Beautiful, ain't it, Al?" Toad murmured, for once realizing the spectacular view as he and Althea sat among the wooden tiles of the roof, with Toad positioned behind the Misfit leader and his arms wrapped around her waist, resting his chin on top of her head.

"Yeah," Althea sighed before she turned to Toad and added, "So what did you want to ask me that was so important?"

"How'd you know?" Toad asked, dumbfounded that his girlfriend could figure it out so quickly. The raven-haired hydrokinetic smiled as she playfully squeezed Todd's nose between her thumb and forefinger.

"Please, discrete and imperceptible planning isn't your strong point, Toddles," Althea chuckled, "If you're willing to pass up annoying the X-Men or scoring free food from the kitchen and want to find a secluded place where a lot of the others won't really bother us just to talk and enjoy the sunset, and this coming from a person who is the classic example of an attention deficit disorder, then it's _obvious_ you want to tell me something."

"Well, I've been doing some thinking, Al, and how life's so short and all, especially after that last battle…" Toad started before he took something out of his pocket. Althea gasped as the object was held in full view. It was a black jewelry box, it's edged rimmed with gold, and Althea felt her heart stop as she saw the box open right before her eyes.

"Oh…Toddles," Althea gasped, her eyes starting to prick from the surprise as she looked inside. It was a simple one-carat round diamond ring, in a simple setting and the diamond was surrounded by six dark-blue sapphire chips, so small, they were like little slivers of the ocean caressing a pearl. The gold band was shiny and standard, but Althea could discern engraved words on the inside displaying, _Althea and Todd_.

Todd then got down on one knee and firmly held Althea's free hand before he asked nervously, his heart so painful and apprehensive that it was a wonder that he didn't die from organ failure right then and there on the roof. Toad asked, "Al…would…would you marry me?"

"Oh…yes! Yes, I will! Yes, I will marry – wait, did you steal this?" Althea asked, breaking off her dreamy reverie, and to her relief, Toad smiled as he shook his head.

"Nope, bought it with my savings!" he proudly boasted. Althea raised an eyebrow.

"Toddles, your life savings consist of twelve dollars, seventy-three cents, four used bandages, six batteries, some dead flies, and a shiny rock," Althea pointed out, deadpanned. Toad continued to smile, although he scratched his head.

"I actually spent it all and had Cover Girl use her connections to get the ring with my money," Toad confessed, "I dunno how she did it, but she said something on how Malerie Surprise wouldn't miss it considering she's more worried on how her beach-house suddenly caught on fire along with her private yacht…"

"I think I'm better off knowing because then I can plead ignorance when Hawk asks if I knew anything about Malerie's sudden misfortune," Althea groaned but then she turned her gaze to the frog-like teenager in front of her before she asked softly, "But…why now? I mean, we're already engaged to be engaged and going steady, so what's the rush? We're both eighteen already."

Toad then said, "Because after the last battle and how General Hawk says the battle to come might be bad, yo, I want to do this now so that…well, we can have some happiness before it's too late, Al. I don't want to die without doing this because I want to enjoy it with ya, pork-chop. I want to do this before it's too late, and…well, cause I want to! Is it…is it okay, Al?"

Althea had tears in her eyes before she felt her heart swell so much with joy and touched hope that she felt like flying on the proverbial cloud Nine as she carefully took the ring from the box and placed it on her ring finger on her left hand. It fit perfectly, as if it was made for her.

"Nah, this is perfect. You're perfect, Todd. And yes, I'll marry you," Althea said, her voice hoarse as she gave Toad a long and fulfilling kiss, his hands cupping her face and her arms wrapped gently around his neck, and together, under the light of the beautiful sunset, the two Misfits forgot their troubles. They didn't think about the Gathering to come. They didn't think how their lives could be cut short by terrorist attacks from Cobra, Magneto, or even the Friends of Humanity. They didn't even think about how much harder life could be for them in the near future, if there was a future at all.

For one blissful moment, all Toad and Wavedancer could do was think of how perfect and wonderful this one point in their lives was, and it couldn't have been more heavenly and romantic for the both of them…

KABOOM!

"Jamie, come back here and die!" yelled Bobby as he chased Multiple, shooting missiles with his glovatrix.

"I got you now, you little horny lizard! Your head's gonna be mine now, Xi, once I get my hands and claws on you!" Logan was heard screaming as he tried to climb after Xi up the trunk of one of the trees planted at the school, and Xi was trying to his best to evade the furious attempts by Wolverine to grab him by the ankle and drag him out before killing him.

"Dad, this has gone far enough! Stop trying to murder him!" Rina yelled as she tackled Logan from behind.

"HAVE A KNUCKLE-SANDWICH, FOUR-EYES!" Beast was heard yelling.

"BITE ME, LARPER!" Giles responded back, his bellows echoing throughout the Institute grounds as their brawl continued.

…even with the typical chaos and explosions besieging the X-Mansion.

---

"Oh wow, can you like believe it? Althea and Toad are going to get married! That is like so totally cool!" Kitty marveled to Tabitha, Rogue, Amara, and Jean while all the teenage X-Men, Logan, Jake, and Ororo (the rest of the adults were in a meeting with the Misfit handlers in the Professor's office and the Misfits were told to wait outside since this was a private matter for the X-Men) were gathered along with the Charmed Ones in the living room. Thanks to the announcement from both Wavedancer and Toad, everyone learned of the sudden engagement between the two mutant teenagers, and both Althea and Todd got nothing but well-wishes and congratulations from the Slayers, the X-Men, the Misfits, the Halliwells, and the Joes. Rogue and Jean then gave a unified, bitter and impatient glare at Remy and Scott (the both of whom were no fools and were doing their best to not meet their girlfriends' angry gazes).

"You'd think they'd get the hint one of these days," Jean grumbled.

"It's times like these when I even wonder why I have to put up with the swamp-rat," grumbled Rogue, collaborating with the redheaded telekinetic in a rare moment of agreement, "I mean, Toad of all yahoo's willin' ta' make a commitment to Althea, so you'd think that the Cajun would be just as willing!"

"Men are scum," grumbled Jean, "Always taking us for granted."

"They're complete pigs," grumbled Rogue in complete agreement.

"Something tells me that we're going to be hearing this for a **long** while, Remy," Scott groaned as he winced at the future ranting and raving to come.

"Remy think we'd better start making plans to see if the dog-house will take in the both of us for the next three months," Gambit whimpered, wondering if it was possible to survive the next year or so without having Rogue throwing one of her dangerous and infamous temper-tantrums. Meanwhile, Jamie and Tabitha were asking Paige, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell some questions to satisfy their curiosity.

"Why aren't you guys with the other Slayers and the Watchers?" Tabitha asked.

"Because we needed to do this for Jubilee and one other person first. Leo is already with Wyatt and Chris along with the other Slayers and Watchers over at the Pit where we'll up with them after this before General Hawk uses the Mass Device to teleport us to the Slayer Academy in London where we'll live with the others from now on for our safety," Paige answered.

"What exactly are you doing?" Jamie asked, crinkling his eyes at the Book of Shadows that was laid out in front of the three Wiccans, but Phoebe and Paige smiled mysteriously at the mutant adolescent while Piper just grumbled under her breath.

"You'll find out right now, Jamie," Phoebe said softly before she called out loudly, bringing the side chatter to a standstill as she called out, "Jubilee, can you come here for a moment? We want to give you something?"

It was apparent that the Chinese girl was very scared as she slowly approached in front of the three white-witches, but Phoebe knew what Jubilee was thinking and she shook her head, saying gently, "It's nothing to be afraid of Jubilee. Like I said, we've forgiven you for what had happened in San Francisco, and this is something that will help you, especially since…well, you're still hurting and we want to help out in whatever way we can."

"You…you're not going to curse me?" Jubilee asked, and as much as Wolverine wanted to jump out and threaten the Charmed Ones right then and there, he knew that he should keep his mouth shut, especially since they deserved the benefit of the doubt and he didn't like the way Piper was glaring at him.

"No, sweetie, but just stand right here. We are going to use a spell, but I think you'll truly be grateful for this, but you better prepare yourself, Jubilee. We can only do this once, and you only have five minutes to talk with them, all right? Don't be afraid, Jubilee. I give you my word that this is a gift from all of us," Phoebe said soothingly.

"What are they talking about? Who do they want Jubilee to talk to?" Ray asked no one in particular but then the Wiccans began chanting.

"_Hear these words, hear my cry. Spirit from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide_," they chanted softly and as one.

And with a sparkling of white, angelic stars and flashes, gentle and soothing, with a soft noise, Jubilee saw the cloud disappear to reveal the transparent forms of Mr. and Mrs. Lee, the spirits of her father and mother.

"Goddess," whispered Ororo, looking at the two apparitions.

"Oh my God," Rogue gasped, her face going pale and her hands flying to her mouth. And the other X-Men were following suit as well with great surprise and truly taken aback, at a loss for words. Most of the teenagers had the typical wide eyes and dropped jaws while Logan felt the cigar stub he was chewing drop completely from his frozen mouth.

Jubilee nearly fainted with grief and shock right then and there, and she could only gasp as he covered her mouth with both hands. It couldn't be. It couldn't possibly…!

"Is…is this an illusion?" uttered Sam dumbly.

Paige shook her head as she explained, "They're the real spirits of Jubilee's parents. We summoned their spirits for one last chance to talk with Jubilee, but it's only temporary, so make it count."

The Chinese X-Girl was now shaking visibly, whimpering and with tears welling in her eyes before she managed to croak with hesitation, "M-…Mom? Dad? Is…is it…?"

Mr. Lee, his eyes twinkling behind his thick glasses and his moustache curving upwards in a small smile, just held out his hands in a welcome embrace.

"We missed you, _my little piglet_," Mr. Lee said, saying the pet name of his daughter in Chinese, the one nickname only he, Mrs. Lee, and Jubilee knew of as a token of affection (thus, it was no illusion), and Jubilee started crying again with joy as she rushed towards her mother and father…only to pass right through them.

"What?" Jubilee gasped before she turned a questioning look at the Charmed Ones, and Piper ruefully and curtly explained to the mutant girl.

"We can't raise the dead, Jubilee. We are not allowed to tamper with the rules of life and death and we are not powerful enough to do so, but you can still talk to them even though you can't touch them. And you have four minutes left, so hurry up and say what you wanted to say."

"Oh Mom, Dad! I…I miss you so much!" Jubilee sobbed, wiping her nose and eyes as she turned to the two spirits. Mrs. Lee also had tears brimming in her eyes as she laid a ghostly hand on Jubilee's head.

"We missed you too. I'm just glad you are safe and all right, Jubilation," the Asian woman said in a loving voice, warm and affectionate, "We…can you forgive us for leaving you, even though we had no choice? I know it was hard for you, but if anything, Jubilee, we would have preferred to die in your place rather than lose you and have ourselves live with the survivor's guilt."

Jubilee nodded, her lip quivering, before she sniffed and choked, "I…I just miss you both so much. I just wish you didn't die. I just…I just wish you were still with me right now!"

"Unfortunately, it can't happen, so listen to what we have to say, Jubilation," her father said strongly, making eye contact with his daughter in order to establish his point, "Please, this is important. One, we don't want you to blame yourself for what happened. Our deaths were of no fault of yours, and if anything, you would make both me and your mother greatly distressed if you wallow in self-pity. We want to live as you would normally, without us. Do that for us, please."

Jubilee nodded.

"Second," Mrs. Lee spoke this time, "We want you to contact your uncle, and let him know that you're ready to take out the money we set up for you in a trust fund in which you are allowed to open and withdraw money from under the condition that we have died and your official guardian has signed the papers since you are underage. Jubilee, should you ever wish to leave the Institute, use the money for college, all right honey? Talk to uncle about the college trust fund; he'll know what we're talking about."

Jubilee sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"And third, we are proud of you, regardless of the mistakes you've made," her father said with warmth and supportive encouragement, "You have found friends and fought against a great evil to avenge the family honor. You now have a home again and have found a surrogate family who we know will love and support you and be there if you need help. You chose to stay beside your friends instead of running away and you continue to chose to be an X-Man, to help other people. Your mother and I cannot ask for anything more than that. If anything, as long as you can live and be safe, we are more than satisfied despite the fact that we are not physically here with you."

"But we are with you in spirit, Jubilee," her mother whispered, "Never forget that, all right, my daughter? Even though you cannot see or hear us, we can watch you and we will be watching you. You will not be alone, and now that we're in this place…we can see and watch you safely and be with you wherever you are. And if you do anything we don't like, we'll just ground you for the next fifty years once you cross over to this side."

"Mom!" Jubilee protested, smiling and shakily laughing.

"Ah, there's the smile I've always loved in _my little piglet_," Mr. Lee chuckled, "Remember: **we want you to live**. Live for us, Jubilee, and as long as you are happy, we could not ask for more than that."

"You have one minute left, Mr. and Mrs. Lee," Paige said softly, looking at her watch, her eyes streaming.

The two Chinese parents then turned to the other X-Men.

"You will watch after her, right? Are we correct that she will be safe here, even though Sentinels and your enemies may strike?" Mrs. Lee asked.

"We promise," Tabitha said strongly, standing up, "If any creep tries to get her, he's gonna have to get past us first and not without forfeiting a few teeth first."

"She is my sister now," Rina added as she stood up alongside Tabitha with fierce devotion and promise, "I have never had a sister before in my life…and I will not lose one after gaining one so soon."

Mr. Lee studied Wolverine for several minutes before he said at last, "You are a good man, Logan. I will not say anything for I know you already can tell what needs to be said. She trusts you…and as much as I am reluctant to admit it, my daughter has made the right choice. And I am glad because I agree with her. Thank you for adopting her, Logan."

Logan nodded, smiling.

"And Piper?" Mrs. Lee requested softly at the Wiccan, "Please, promise you that you won't bear any more ill feelings for our daughter for her past mistakes. I know you have a right to be angry, but she was misled and used. She is not at fault."

Piper frowned and hesitated as she said with resentment, "I cannot promise anything regarding my feelings, Mrs. Lee…but when it comes down to it, should Jubilee be in any danger, I will protect her with my fullest ability and magic. And I do mean that, I really do."

Mr. and Mrs. Lee nodded, accepting, before they tuned back to their daughter and kissed her on the forehead and cheek before whispering, "We love you…"

And with that, they disappeared, vanishing into a cloud of dust and angelic light.

Piotr had tears in his eyes (along with some of the other X-Men who were sniffing and blinking furiously at the touching scene) as he turned to the Charmed Ones and said, "That was…really noble of you Halliwells, to do that for Jubilee. I think I speak for all of us when I say thank you for doing that for her. I don't think you know how much it means to Jubilee to have this gift."

Phoebe nodded, feeling touched as she said, "I think we have an idea…"

"Are you all right, child?" Ororo asked gently, her eyes misty, but to her surprise, Jubilee was wiping her eyes and smiling.

"I'm actually feeling better, Storm," Jubilee sniffed, "After all, how many people get a chance to say good-bye to their parents like this after they've been killed? It…it still hurts, but…but I really do feel better. I…I feel I can move on now."

"That…was so cool," whispered Kurt, his voice hoarse.

"And we still have one more to go," Piper said as she and her sisters joined hands before turning to Razor, "Jake, prepare yourself for a shock."

"Huh?" the kat gasped, surprised, "Hey, wait a minute! I didn't deserve this gift - !"

But like clockwork, the sisters then chanted a modified version of the previous spell…

"_Hear these words, hear my cry. Spirit from the other side. A SWAT Kat we seek, from dimensions unique. Come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide_," they chanted softly and as one.

"No way!" Forge gasped as he and several of the other students guessed who the Charmed Ones were summoning.

With a sparkly and flurry of sparkling, celestial auras, the cloud of magic disintegrated away again to reveal…a translucent spirit of Chance Furlong, Jake's best friend and the deceased SWAT Kat named T-Bone from the harsh siege in Megakat City.

Jake's eyes went wide before his entire body trembled, his breath caught in his throat. No…it couldn't be? It had to be too good to be true.

In the meantime, the other teenagers recognized the stranger cat instantly from their repeated viewings of the SWAT Kats cartoons. Granted, he was a little different from the TV show, but that tawny stripped fur, this playful and devil-may-care expression on his face, the strapping physique, and those rough blue eyes…there was no mistake.

"Oh my God!" Tabitha gasped, babbling, "Oh my God! It's Chance, it's really Chance! Chance Furlong!"

"_Mon dieu!_" Remy exclaimed.

"Chance?" Jake shakily asked, his arms limp at his sides.

"Hey, Jake, ol' buddy," Chance said, his voice the same deep tone he always used, his eyes twinkling and exuberant with boundless energy, but his face fell when Jake stared at the floor, speechless and making no move to greet his dead best friend.

"Jake!" protested Kitty, "Like, what are you waiting for?"

"You shouldn't be here," whispered Jake, his body shaking and his voice strangled, "You hate me…you hate me after what happened…"

"Oh fur and paw and all the tails in Megakat City put together!" growled Chance, losing his patience as the spirit marched up to Jake and roared loudly into the brown-furred kat's face.

"OK Jake, listen here cause I'm not going to be around to kick your furry tail when ya' need it!" the tomcat bellowed, "Get this into your brain! I **don't** blame you for what happened! I **don't** hate you! I never have and I never will, especially not to my best buddy! And if you keep going on about this, I'll…heck, I'll ask Wolverine to kick your tail good!"

Logan smirked; having spirits requesting him to beat up the hairball was certainly a new one.

Chance's voice softened but it still had frustration and tough love lacing the words as he spoke, "Jake, I knew what the risks were when I took on Dark Crud, and I knew that the job and life of bein' a SWAT Kat had risks and dangers! But it's something we both agreed to do, even with the risks! We wanted to protect Megakat City, and we did, just the two of us, and we did what we've always dreamed about! If anything, I'm glad I died because then it meant that _you_ could survive, and _I_ wouldn't have to live with the guilt!"

Jake remained silent but he looked up sharply, taken aback, and Chance used this moment of clarity to get through to him.

"Damn it, Jake," Chance said, his voice hoarse, "Don't beat yourself up over my dying cause I'm not sure how I can move on if you keep having dark thoughts of suicide and think that you're alone and that you're the cause of my death! Jake, I don't want you to feel that. I want you to realize that it's not your fault. **It's not you fault**. And I'm okay with you moving on because I want you to live and grow old with these kids, heck, maybe find love. But it's OK to do that when I'm not here. Jake, damn it all, I want you to know that I don't blame you and that I want you to live. Even though you're now the only SWAT Kat…that doesn't mean I want you to stop being a hero. Hell, I can see why you love these kittens so much. Always said you'd be a great big brother figure had you never joined the Enforcers."

Jake's eyes were streaming, and Chance used a single clawed finger in an attempt to try to wipe his friend's eyes, only to find it useless since he was a ghost.

"Jake, I'll always be your best bud, your brother, and me dying ain't gonna change that, okay? Remember, if you want me to be glad that you're here in this dimension with the X-Men, then I want you to stop blaming yourself and continue doing what you were meant to do: to be a hero and be a mentor to these kids, OK? Do it for me."

"You have one minute left…" Paige said, her voice hoarse. God, she was going to never stop crying today at this rate.

"Enough time for me to say a few things then to Jake's new family, Miss Halliwell," Chance said sadly, but with some joy at knowing Jake was going to be in good hands and have a fulfilling life for the rest of his days.

"Hey kittens, so you tykes are the infamous and legendary X-Men I've been hearing so much about," Chance chuckled.

"It's…it's an honor to meet you, sir," Jamie piped up, and Chance chuckled as he laid a ghostly hand on Jamie's hair in a futile attempt to ruffle it.

"Ah, you're good kids. A bit insane and God knows how much Jake's gonna need alcohol and patience dealing with you terrors, but you're all good. Wish I could have met you all if I had the chance."

"In a way, you are. And we are glad to finally meet and see you at last, T-Bone," Scott said, smiling.

"Just take care of Jake now that I'm not here, OK? Promise me that, especially since I know that if Jake ever needed a family, you kittens couldn't be a better choice," Chance said.

"We will, Chance," Amara nodded strongly, "We love Jake like a brother."

"Good, that's all I want to ask from you little tykes," Chance said, smiling at last, his blue eyes playful and at peace until his eyes rested on Wolverine. He glared at the elder X-Man while raising his hackles and crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"You Logan?" Chance asked flatly.

"Yeah, what's it to you, bub?" the grizzled X-Man said just as blunt and intimidating as the tawny-striped kat before him. Chance's eyes flickered a bit.

"Just to let you know, Wolverine, I don't care how many bad guys you've faced and beaten. You hurt my best buddy in any way, and I'll kick your tail all over the afterlife when you get up here," the kat growled smugly.

"I thought you wanted me to give the hairball a hard time when he needs it so that he can stop wallowing in his self-pity. Hell, if anything, I agree with you when the hairball needs a good smack upside the head," Logan shot back.

"I thought there was a reason I liked you," Chance said at last, smiling, "You remind so much of me…well, except _I'm_ probably stronger."

Wolverine smirked as he said good-naturedly, "Kiss my ass, Furlong."

"Ah, you really have trouble thinking up of original insults, don't ya…_Badger_?" Chance shot back, and amid the sniggering and stifled laughter from all around, Logan felt a vein throb as he glared at Tabitha who was next to him and giving Wolverine a sheepish smile.

"Did I ever thank you for creating that nickname for me, Tabby?" Logan growled with murderous bitterness, now wondering if he could dump the remains of Tabitha's body along with Xi's once there were no witnesses. The blond X-Girl just smiled, giving a weak _heh-heh_.

"On the upside, you must really be popular if people in the afterlife and in different dimensions are calling you by that one," Tabitha joked, trying not to wince under Logan's evil eye.

Jake then finally smiled at last as he shakily said, "I guess this is good-bye then."

"Yeah, it is. Good-bye, ol' buddy, and remember: down these mean skies…" Chance said as he started to fade away.

"…a SWAT Kat must fly. I'll see you again someday, buddy," Jake chuckled despite his sadness. Chance gave him a thumbs-up sign.

"Bingo," and with that, T-Bone disappeared. Paige, Piper, and Phoebe then smiled before they grabbed the Book of Shadows and all three of the sisters whispered one touching, farewell sentiment.

"Blessed be…" and with that, Paige orbed all three of them out of the X-Mansion. There was only a small silence as everyone just pondered on what had just happened before Wolverine growled and opened the door to the living room. As he expected, Wanda, Althea, Xi, Todd, Lance, and Pietro fell forward from leaning against the door attempting to eavesdrop on the event, landing into a heap on top of each other. Trinity, Fred, and Lina were standing sheepishly in the hallway.

"Uh…heh-heh?" Pietro chuckled at under the livid glare of the adult.

"Why is it I'm not surprised?" Scott groaned.

"Hey, we're just curious, yo!" Todd argued in his defense as Forge helped him up, "We just wanted to see how Jake and Jubilee enjoyed Justin's gift, that's all?"

"Justin's gift?" echoed Amara, confused, "But, Justin didn't have anything to do with it! The Charmed Ones cast the spell!"

"What are you talking about?" Pietro said, his mouth foolishly running on auto-pilot, "Piper told you that the only reason she did it was because Justin asked her to because chubby-cheeks was too stupid to accept the chance to see his mother as a reward for saving Chris, and he felt that Jubilee and Jake could…use…it…more…"

Quicksilver trailed off when he saw each and every one of the X-Men's faces were blank and had absolutely no idea what the Misfit speedster was saying, and Wanda felt the sudden urge to bash in Pietro's head with a blunt object repeatedly for speaking before he could think about it.

"Piper didn't tell you, did she?" Wanda sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, realizing the truth.

"No…" said Rogue slowly as she shook her head.

"Nice going, blabbermouth," grumbled Fred to Pietro.

"Where's Justin?" Jean asked, "Why isn't he with you?"

"He said he didn't want to join us in eavesdropping since he didn't really wanted to invade your privacy, though I really have no idea why that's a bad thing and - " but before Daria could continue her sentence, Jake tore out of the living room hurriedly and went outside, slamming the door in his rush.

It turned out, Jake was able to track down Justin easily, finding him in the side garden outside the Institute where one of the fountains was, standing in the middle of the clearing and surrounded by the flower gardens of Ororo's, and the Misfit looked up from a noise behind him before he turned to see Jake, panting and looking at Justin with a mixture of shock and gratefulness.

"Why did you do that, kitten?" Jake asked wearily.

Justin blinked, confused, and Jake irritably clarified it further.

"Why did you give me the gift Piper was going to give to you? Whitelighter, it was meant for you as a reward, not for me and Jubilee! Why did you do that for me? And for Jubilee for that matter? You didn't need to!" the kat protested.

Justin looked surprised and slightly apprehensive at the kat's outrage as he nervously explained while looking down, "I didn't need it, you and Jubilee did. So I did what was best, especially after I remembered how you wanted to have one time to talk with Chance, just to see if you could move on."

"You still didn't need to do that. Now I'll feel guilty about taking away your chance to use such a gift of magic," Jake said, his voice softening and concerned as he stepped until he was only inches from Justin. Justin shook his head.

"Do you feel better that you got to speak to Chance?" Justin asked softly, "Could you imagine going through life never being able to do what Piper and the other Charmed Ones did to you and Jubilee?"

Jake stopped before he realized that the Misfit had a point. He was better off now that he got to speak to Chance. The burden, the untold heaviness of guilt and sorrow wasn't as painful and deep as before, and it would have never happened had Jake never been blessed with the spell.

Justin was right; he did need it. Desperately. And more than Justin ever did.

And that made him all the more emotional.

"Thank you," whispered Jake, shaking, "I…that's one of the best things I've ever received since coming here, second to Xavier welcoming me in his home and allowing me to live her in a new life. I…thank you, kitten."

Justin raised his head a bit, still unable to look at Jake in the eyes, but shyly glad the gift did what he hoped it could achieve.

"You're welcome, Jake. I…I'm glad it helped. Really," Whitelighter said.

It was then that the kat reacted in the only way he could and wanted to, and despite his logic and common sense screaming inside his brain, it was pitched out the window by the surging feelings of gratefulness and touched empathy.

With that and to Justin's surprise, Jake leaned forward and kissed him. On the lips.

Justin's eyes went wide with shock and he made a muffled sound of surprise as he felt Jake's mouth on his own, the kat's whiskers tickling his cheeks and Jake cupping Justin's chin with one paw. For a second or two, neither of them moved or spoke…and it was about then that Jake realized what he just did without thinking, and with a jolt, he backed off fearfully, his chest heaving with trepidation. Justin just stood there as still as a statue with a look of frozen, surprised, _what-the-hell-just-happened_ expression on his face, his eyes so wide you could see the whites all around and his mouth agape.

Jake felt the coldness in his gut painfully clench around his stomach, quivering.

Oh shit, what had he done?

"Justin, I…I…" and Jake faltered, his throat and mouth incredibly dry. Oh fur and tail, if he hurt Justin in any way, Jake would never forgive himself. And the X-Man then realized that the damage had been done.

Jake then started to panic as he hurriedly and nervously babbled, for once losing his care-free and calm demeanor as he said in a rush, "I…I didn't mean it, Justin. I lost my head. I was just…overwhelmed at seeing Chance again. I…Justin, I lost my head, you know I would never…oh paw and tail, Justin, I'm sorry. It was just a fluke, a - "

But in the middle of the rabble, Justin broke out of his shock and his eyes softened, pained that Jake was feeling guilty, but also surprisingly touched. And before Jake could finish his sentence, the teenager quietly and slowly walked up, stood on his toes and managed to kiss Jake back on the mouth, and the kat found it difficult to continue his apology with Justin kissing him back. For several blissful moments, all Jake and Justin could do was close their eyes and enjoy the warmth.

Jake then broke the kiss before he wrapped his arms around the Misfit and pulled him close into a hug, his heart pounding painfully against his chest, and likewise, Justin felt weak in the knees and was grateful for the support as he rested the side of his head against Jake's torso, feeling the kat's rapid thumping. Though Jake wasn't necessarily tall, he was high enough to rest his chin on Justin's head in an act of fondness and affection before he closed his eyes and started to purr, his voice now turning like a friendly, content housecat, burying his muzzle into the teenager's hair. The Misfit had to admit it was strange yet somewhat a bit therapeutic to hear a big kat purr while holding you close.

There was a nerve-wracking silence before Jake broke out of his reverie and realized what he was doing. He gulped, his face going hot, before he managed to ask hoarsely.

"Uh…so, you're…uh, you're…?" Razor asked hesitantly before he trailed off.

"Yeah," Justin admitted, scared and not sure if he could talk while looking directly in Jake's eyes.

"How…how long have you – uh…?"

Jake was incredibly tongue-tied, and Justin was just as nervous as he winced, grimacing, as he divulged, "Um…well, I kind of…had a crush on you when I met you at the fairgrounds when we ran into each other when Live Wire attacked."

"I…see," Jake said, blinking, not sure how to feel about that, but the primary emotion coursing through his body was relief. Justin then diffidently asked the same question.

"Um…so you're…uh, you too?"

"Yes, kitten," Jake said, continuing to embrace the Misfit and not breaking his hold.

"Uh…but I thought you were – uh…well…you know, Callie…"

The brown-furred kat smiled ruefully as he clarified, "I said I was flattered, but I said I never felt the same way about her as she did for me. I just never told you the reason **why** I couldn't love her the way she wanted me to."

"I…see. Did Chance know?"

"He didn't know, or at least…he never told me that he knew, though I wouldn't put it past him. And no, he was my friend and brother, but I didn't want to feel about him _that_ way."

"Oh my God!" Kitty gasped as she, Piotr and Kurt's collective heads popped out of the bushes, "**_Jake and Justin?_**"

"_Mein Gott!_" Kurt gasped, his eyes going wide, and upon the startled outburst, Jake and Justin nearly jumped out of their skins.

"Oh God, how long have you guys been there?" Justin gasped, already starting to show signs of an early panic attack.

"Uh…they were the last ones to join in. All the rest of us started around when Jake found you," a sheepish Lina admitted as she, the Misfits, and the rest of the teenage X-Men emerged from their hiding places in the trees and bushes. Justin felt like he was going to die of embarrassment right then and there. Jake especially felt hot underneath his fur as many of the X-Men were staring at him.

"Uh…so Jake's…uh…so he's…uh…" but it was difficult for Ray to complete the sentence, and Rogue had to roll her eyes at the immaturity as she snapped back.

"You can say it: _gay_. Jake and Justin are both gay! God, can ya' be even more of an idiot?" the Southern belle snorted in exasperation.

"But…but this is…yeesh," Remy said, grimacing.

"Oh grow up!" snapped Amara before she looked at Jake supportively, "I think it's so romantic!"

"I beg to differ, Amara," Scott groaned, "I really beg to differ!"

"All right, way to go, chubby-cheeks!" hooted Pietro, "This just proves you're just as screwed up as the rest of us! You're a true Misfit now, all right!"

"Oh by Reptilion, this is humiliating! The only thing that could make this even worse is that - !"

"**_WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY SON?_**" bellowed a familiar baritone voice in absolute and apoplectic rage, shouting his ire at the top of his lungs.

"…is that if Blind Master and the other adults found out about this," Justin finished weakly, deadpanned and cursing Murphy's Law, grimacing as he, Jake, and the other teenagers turned to see the adult X-Men and Misfit handlers looking at Jake and Justin with wide eyes and dropped jaws. But Blind Master was looking thoroughly homicidal as his eyes clenched in anger behind his glasses, his frown so intense that his entire face was disfigured by the wrinkled skin in his brow and mouth. And his teeth were bared and actually starting to grate against each other, and Jake wasn't sure he wanted to know how Blind Master was going to use his cane on him. Jake felt like he was going to shrivel up and die under Professor Xavier's reproving glance of disappointment.

"Uh…how much did you guys see?" he asked, grimacing and incredibly embarrassed.

Low Light glared at Jake before he spat with annoyance, "Well, we weren't here personally, but our little spy cams we had on us showed us you kissing Justin, **which I may remind you is a minor**, and Justin kissing you back! It just right after then that Blind Master flipped out!"

"Oh by Reptilion, I wish I was dead," Justin moaned, covering his face with his hands, praying for the Earth to swallow him up.

"I think you _might_ just get your wish, kitten," Jake said uneasily out of the corner of his mouth as the furious and murderously seething Blind Master stomped towards the kat and the teenager.

---

Meanwhile, in the heavenly realms of the Whitelighter coven, safeguarded and hidden in the sacred dimension, things were probably just as tense and stressful as the happenings on Earth, if not more so…

"Damn him! Damn him! Damn that half-breed accident! **_Damn him all!_**" Gideon seethed as he used his magic to fling another table in his private quarters across the room before it splintered and broke upon its impact at being slammed into the marble and stone wall with great intensity. Gideon's sons, Krygaw and Damionax were watching alongside their father, and though they too were livid, they wisely held their tongues in case they would further anger the Elder of Elders, and considering how Gideon was red-faced and boiling with cheated rage, it was apparent that the Whitelighter Elder was angrier than he had ever had been before in eons. And judging by the way his entire chamber was messily rendered into ruins with broken objects, trashed manuscripts of ancient time, and overturned and tattered remains of furniture, it was safe to say that the goateed man was thoroughly ticked off.

"I will not take this lying down! I will not allow that lucky half-blooded mistake and his sorry family of Misfits to be able to gloat of how he circumvented my orders! I will make Justin pay for this, I swear it!" Gideon panted heavily with malice and poison, his energy spent.

"I still do not know why we cannot punish that bastard child, Father," Damionax said, his hands itching for the chance to use his axe, "We can punish Justin, can't we? He disobeyed a direct order from the Elders of Elders! He healed the babe, Christopher Halliwell, regardless of your will and law! He broke the rules of the Whitelighters! That alone can be punished by exile or death itself! We can use that for grounds on Justin's immediate execution!"

Krygaw was resentfully and impatiently bitter as he explained in a hard voice, "Unfortunately, it is not as you wish, Damionax. Elder Gideon and I have looked and confided in many of the laws and decrees created solely by the Elders and the Immortal Council since the beginning of time, and I am sorry to report that no rules have been broken. We cannot the scourge for he has not endangered the infrastructure and boundaries of the Whitelighters in any way, as much as I hate to admit it."

Damionax was stunned as he protested heatedly, "How can the Council say that? We have all witnessed it! Justin has broken the laws of life and death and has healed the witch-child, especially when you made it clear that no Whitelighter is to heal any of the Charmed Ones and their allies during the battle because of the witches' damned incompetence at exposing the magical world! It could not be any clearer! Justin has disobeyed the will of the Elders!"

"You are forgetting that Justin is not a true Whitelighter, and we have chosen to force the half-breed to live in exile and do not recognize him into the coven under the Elders' blessings, primarily because we didn't want the half-Whitelighter mutant to ever be an Elder and ruin the sanctity of the Whitelighter legacy. Thus, Justin is not a Whitelighter recognized by the Council, and because he has not received any blessings by the Whitelighters and because his powers stem from his mutation rather than the Elders' wills…" Krygaw explained before he trailed off, rubbing his forehead in irritation, and the other son of Gideon guessed it immediately.

"Thus, that damned half-breed didn't break any laws of the Whitelighters because the bastard child isn't even a Whitelighter in the first place," Damionax muttered, now realizing how fortunate Fate turned out to be for the disgraceful blight of the Whitelighter bloodline.

Gideon shook as he intoned, "In other words, his exile was both a curse and a blessing for Justin. He may not have any protection or gifts from the coven, but it also allows him to escape our punishment if he performs against our wills. In other words, _he is a rogue Whitelighter_, one in which we have no power or authority to persecute! And now I curse the day that accident was born even more so! Chris and Wyatt Halliwell both have the bloodlines of witch and Whitelighter mixed in their flesh and blood, and the Oracles prophesized that they could be mortals of great power! And you do realize what a threat they could be for all should they ever turn to the dark side, as most faulted mortals do under the temptation of power and riches, correct? But now instead of just the Halliwells' spawn, we additionally have to worry about Justin who can circumvent orders of the Elders and heal **anyone** he wishes, the damned bleeding-heart! Demons, mutants, creatures of the lesser folk…that mutant scum has the ability to heal all of them should he wish to, and we wouldn't be able to do a thing to stop him! Evil beings and warlocks could use him as a tool, a source for recovery and healing against any ailment or injury we bestow on them!"

"Can we turn back time or perhaps utilize the help of the Cleaners and the other beings of powerful magic to stop this travesty from ever occurring?"

Krygaw shot down Damionax's suggestion, wearily replying, "Unfortunately, we cannot. The damage of the exposure of the magical world is far too severe for the Cleaners or any sort of higher power to undo. Not even the threads of Fate can be manipulated backwards to correct this foolishness and idiocy for too much has been spread out, and to do so would risk endangering the world and all life. As powerful as we are, we cannot fully control the Sands of Time and the hands of Fate; none of us are that foolish to rewrite the past and doom the future. Thus, the magical world is fully exposed and we cannot use our powers to turn back time because too much has passed, and it would not be enough to stop Keyes and Hellfire Club from plotting against the Charmed Ones. We are stuck with this, for better and certainly for worse, all because those damned sisters and the vampire slayers have chosen to open the floodgates of Hell on the magical world, to alter its destiny forevermore."

"Perhaps we can have Justin thoroughly dealt with, Elder Gideon," suggested Damionax eagerly, "We could have him assassinated or perhaps cast another curse…"

"Unfortunately, we cannot do even that," Krygaw sighed, "You're forgetting the Oath of Abraham given by General Hawk, and he specifically declared that he wanted the half-breed to be spared and to be left alone to live a peaceful life with his friends and family. The general from G.I. Joe had worded the promise so that there is no way we can elude the request with a simple loophole. Thus, we cannot touch Justin…"

"Damn that Hawk," muttered Damionax, "Well, at least we can continue our surveillance on Wyatt and Chris and - "

"No, abandon all plans with the children of the Charmed Ones," Gideon said with malicious and icy steel, unbending as he made it very clear to his two sons, "Abandon all plans with Wyatt and Chris Halliwell and focus your resources on Justin. He is of the greater threat, and he needs to be dealt with…**now and immediately**. I will not allow a rogue Whitelighter to exist any longer than necessary. We cannot kill him, but we can make Justin suffer and possibly see to it that he does run into unfortunate accidents and life-threatening situations."

"And you have a plan, my Lord?" Krygaw asked.

"I say that thanks to a turn of _very_ recent events, we have a possible way to ensure Justin may endure some very strenuous hardships…" Gideon said with vengeance.

---

"So what do we do now?" Paige asked as she and her sisters along with the Slayers, the Scoobies, and the Watchers prepared for their trip to London. General Hawk, who was with them, smiled.

"Actually, I may have another option that might help us all out on that, if all of you are willing to stop and listen to a proposition before you all leave for London. You have a few guests that wish to talk with you to see if you're interested in the offer," General Hawk remarked with a smile.

"Guests?" Giles repeated in a hard tone, his eyes narrowing.

"Offer? It's…it's not anything bad, is it?" Caridad asked suspiciously, but General Hawk held up his hands.

"Before you ask, no they're not from the Initiative or anything else like them. In fact, though they are playing by Wolfram and Hart's rules due to circumstances beyond their control, they are active forces in ensuring that the firm does not have any shady or malicious dealings with the paranormal. In fact, they're the proverbial thorns-in-the-side for Wolfram and Hart, and they're looking for new recruits to help them police demons and to provide a back-up force to help all of us when the Gathering of Twilight comes to pass," Hawk explained in a sincere and easy tone.

With that, General Hawk motioned for a large group of people to emerge into the room, the oddest bunch of people one had ever seen and alongside them was a transparent, green ghost, babbling in foreign words.

"Whoa, talk about a greeting committee," marveled Faith at the number of people who wanted to speak with them. Vi and Andrew then gasped.

"Wait a minute, I remember those guys! I've seen them before in multiple news stories when I was a kid!" Vi exclaimed.

"Why? Who are they?" Dana asked, guarded.

"They're the Ghostbusters! They nail ghosts and protect New York City! They're heroes, like the Justice League, except they're more on the supernatural stuff," Andrew explained, and upon that assertion, the others Slayers, Scoobies, and the Halliwell family looked at the strange throng of guests in shock. Even though they were looked down upon by the Watcher's Council for being incredibly foolish and ineffective and amateur, Giles and Wood both acknowledged their existence and how the Ghostbusters were a force for good that was many times better than any government agency or the Initiative.

An erudite and seemingly technological-savvy man wearing glasses with square lenses and his long, blond hair tied into a pony-tail stepped forward, deciding to make introductions, "You are correct…Mr. Wells, I believe your name is?"

"Call me Andrew!" squealed the Watcher-in-training in excitement, "And I know you! You're Dr. Egon Spengler, paranormal-researcher and renowned scientist of the supernatural! One of the original Ghostbusters! Oh wow, this is so cool! I'm in front of the Ghostbusters! Oh wow! I'm having my biggest nerd-gasm ever! Even more than when I was with Batman!"

All the other Slayers and Scoobies and Watchers flinched at this.

"Did anyone else's mind just go to a _very_ scary mental picture?" Rona asked, deadpanned and wishing she could scrub her brain out with steel wool and Lysol after hearing those words.

"Yes," everyone replied back flatly with weariness.

Egon smoothly continued, showing no indication that he was bothered by Andrew's fawning and enthusiasm as he continued addressing his fellow teammates, "These are my fellow associates from the Ghostbusters: my wife, Janine Melnitz and the green ghost you see next to her is Slimer. Oh don't worry, he's actually quite harmless and his only power is to generate slime ectoplasm and eats food like a bottomless pit. Our accountant and paranormal lawyer, Louis Tulley, and with him are my co-presidents and fellow associates of Ghostbusters Incorporated: Winston Zeddemore, Ray Stanz, and Dr. Peter Venkman. The younger members you see next to them are trainees for the Ghostbuster program: Toby Baxter, Kylie Griffin Rivera and her husband, Eduardo Rivera, along with Garret Miller and Roland Jackson. And last but not least, we have graphic designer, Lamont Beavier, and Quentin Bludd, one of our field commanders and leaders for the team."

The people Egon just introduced made polite and respectful signs of greetings, with the younger, Extreme Ghostbuster team being more friendly and open while the old team were more restrained and professional. But it was the stranger named Quentin who was drawing the most attention, especially from the Slayer girls (except Kennedy).

"Hello!" Rona said, giving a low wolf-whistle at the young man.

"Wow, what a hunk!" Shannon whispered, slightly giddy.

"If my parents ever arrange a marriage to him, I shall certainly not complain!" Chao-Ahn murmured, her face showing a goofy, lovesick expression.

"You know, it's times like these when I'm glad to be a lesbian," Kennedy sighed with some aggravation as she looked at the other Slayers with annoyance.

"You know, if you listen closely, you can hear birds chirping and little tiny hearts twittering around their heads," Xander remarked with some humorous and deadpanned sarcasm.

Willow narrowed her eyes as she intoned, "Actually, there's something I sense about Qunetin, something that's not normal. I don't think he's completely human."

Quentin, upon hearing this, nodded as he explained to Willow, "You are correct. I am a dhamphir, a half-vampire, half-human hybrid that fights for the side of good."

"A dhamphir?" Giles exclaimed in anger before whirling on the Ghostbusters, "You work with a dhamphir?"

"But what a cute dhamphir," Dana said softly, her jaw going slack. Andrew and Xander rolled their eyes at each other.

"What exactly do you want?" Leo asked with suspicion.

"To join us and help protect the world from evil entities," the Ghostbuster called Ray answered back.

Piper snorted through her nose as she remarked, "You've got to be joking."

Quentin whipped his head fiercely to the eldest sister as he growled, "I assure you, Mrs. Wyatt, that unlike you past experience with the Hellfire Club and the Organization, we hardly kid around with something so serious, which would probably explain why you and your sisters screwed up so badly with protecting the Nexus."

"Honey, don't kill him," Leo warned his wife as he grabbed her wrist before she could do something drastic with her molecular combustion.

Piper turned to Quentin and Jenny Calendar before she invoked in a hard tone, "Then if you and the Ghostbusters speak the truth, can you let us cast a truth spell to see if what you have informed all of us is real or false? No offense, but we need to make sure you people are who you say you are, and after the crap we endured from the Hellfire Club and the Thirteenth Order, we're not going to just throw caution to the wind. If you want us to listen to your offer, then let us cast a simple spell. It won't hurt you but it will reveal if you're lying."

Quentin rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he muttered, "Just like a damn, stubborn, pig-headed woman…"

Piper and Phoebe and Paige all gave him dry looks of annoyance at the sexist remark. Winston nodded at Piper.

"Do what you wish, Mrs. Wyatt. We wish to earn your trust, not demand it, and we all have nothing to hide. We need new recruits to stop the evil forces from destroying the world and to help provide to General Hawk and the other heroes additional help to help fight against the Organization, and if this is what it takes, then do so with our permission," the African American stated.

With that, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige shared a look before they joined hands together and chanted a spell.

"_For those who want the truth revealed, open hearts and secrets unsealed, banish those who deceive and lie, reveal the evil one's disguise, leave us those of good and true, show us those that fight the evil through_," the sisters chanted, the winds and air picking up all around the Slayers, the Ghostbusters, and General Hawk.

There was a faint rustle before nothing happened. Al the Ghostbusters remained unaffected by the spell, including Quentin. And Wyatt then giggled before, to his parents' and aunts' collective surprise, he orbed out of his father's arms and into Quentin's.

"Oh my," Paige remarked.

"Nice man!" Wyatt chimed, giving Quentin a hug around his neck. Quentin, though annoyed, just grumbled as he let the half-Whitelighter, half-witch child continue to snuggle against him.

"The things I go through for getting new recruits…" the Ghostbuster muttered, but anyone close to the dhamphir would testify that he would rather cut his arms off than let any harm come to any child in his possession.

"Well, Wyatt trusts him, so that should be another indication that this dhamphir isn't evil," Leo said with some afterthought.

"I say there's no harm in listening to what they have to tell us," Wood said, placing a hand on Giles' tense shoulder, "So who sent you?"

"A woman by the name of Jenny Calendar," Kylie said delicately.

"Is this a bloody joke?" snapped Giles, and one could tell that he was starting to become angry.

"No, it is not, Mr. Giles," a woman remarked as she stepped from behind the crowd, and the Ghostbusters along with Quentin steeped aside, parting like the Red Sea, to let her pass. The woman was tall, lithe, and had rosy cheeks and shoulder-length, dark hair semi-curled stylishly while dressed professionally and smartly in a business suit. She seemed stern, having an aura of good yet dangerous steel will, and yet not a single one of the Slayers could sense anything malicious about her. And to Willow, Xander, and Giles' collective surprises…

"Oh hell!" cursed Xander, his good eye going wide and his voice strangled and falsetto, "It's…her! It really is her! **_It's Ms. Calendar!_**"

Jenny nodded at Xander politely before she gently shot down, "Actually, I am not the Jenny Calendar you remember, Mr. Harris. I am a liaison sent to assume her form, but no, I am not she you speak and remember of from the past."

She then walked up the British, aged Watcher who was incredibly defensive and shaken before she gently offered her hand in front of Giles, saying with sincere compassion, "Hello, Mr. Giles."

Giles looked at her suspiciously before he took the woman's hand and to his surprise, instead of passing through it like an illusion as he was half-expecting, the librarian and warrior was taken aback to feel his fingers touch and brush against warm skin, flesh, and blood. There was no question about it; this woman was physically real.

Giles looked stunned before he deflated.

"You…you're not her," he admitted, and he was extremely hurt and disappointed (and who could blame him). Jenny looked sympathetic before she shook her head. Quentin then raised a hand before Willow and Kennedy and Faith could ask, stopping them from asking the unanimous question that was on their minds.

"And before you ask, no, this Jenny Calendar is not the First in disguise or some other demon," the dhamphir said strongly, "Trust me, if she were the First or if she were evil, I would know. Just…trust me on this. The First cannot manifest itself into actual physical embodiments. And if she was a false embodiment of the First, then she would not be sent to help us figure a way to prevent Wolfram and Hart from employing demons and letting their clients run amok to blight the innocents and the world before the Gathering of Twilight."

The Charmed Ones were stunned, and Phoebe exclaimed with surprise, "How…how did you know about the Gathering of Twilight?"

"Because even though it's understandable to be concerned with your experiences and judgments, there are others people who also can sense what is to come…including our associates, and needless to say, everyone on the side of good is worried," Ray provided, his face grim.

"The Gathering this Organization keeps telling you about is bad news, trust us on this. Even the Powers are worried and running around to come up with a plan to help give the Earth a chance. That's where **we** come in," Garret said, his elbows resting on the handles of his wheelchair.

"And…what exactly would be do if we joined you? What's our primary purpose to become Ghostbusters?" Faith asked.

"How would you like to help fight in the Gathering of Twilight by joining as a liaison for the Powers that Be? Not only do we help others prepare for the end of the world and do whatever it takes to stop it, but we will also additionally police and persecute evil entities by the rules and laws and be a real thorn in the side of Wolfram and Hart," Quentin asked.

"The Powers That Be?" repeated Willow, Leo and Phoebe incredulously, realizing that the Ghostbusters were not working with small-time entities. Suffice to say, any magical creature or steward of the paranormal have heard about the Powers That Be. Even the Immortal Council and beings of higher planes acknowledged and respected them with much honor.

Wood narrowed his eyes in curiosity, but he also smirked a bit with interest as he then answered for the stunned group, "We're listening…"

---

Inspector Sheridan was busy doing the pile of paperwork she managed to salvage from the ruins of her office (plus some extra additional files she personally took over from the duties of the fallen men and women of the force). It was past midnight, but one couldn't tell that the blond-haired woman of grit was the least bit tired as she continued to energetically and meticulously go over every single detail of her reports and forms during the battle with the Turok-Han, warlocks, and the Heartless over at the Halliwell residence. Her superiors would want the full details, and she only felt that she could provide the best she could for the fellow chiefs.

"Inspector Sheridan?" spoke a voice in front of her, breaking her concentration, and the blond-haired woman looked up from her work to see that one of her fellow officers, Anna, who managed to survive the massacre from the vampires and the dark wizards was in front of her desk.

"Yes?"

"You have a visitor who requests to talk to you," Anna said.

"Who is it?"

"It's the founder of the Friends of Humanity, Mr. Graydon Creed himself. Shall I send him in?"

The female Inspector felt the sudden urge to vomit in disgust, but deciding that if she did not deal with this now, then she would most likely never hear the end of it, so she sighed and nodded, feeling the start of another migraine. Within minutes, Graydon Creed entered in, dressed impeccably in his burgundy business suit along with a dark-olive green tie and a black cloth band tied around one sleeve of his coat displaying the badge of the Friends of Humanity. Inspector Sheridan was suddenly reminded of Agent Keyes and she fought the urge to lose her patience as Creed boisterously and pretentiously seated himself without even making introductions or acts of common courtesy.

"Do make yourself comfortable, Mr. Creed," Sheridan said as she fought to keep her face stony and blank and her voice calm and professional. Graydon obviously didn't detect the sarcasm in the Inspector's voice (or if he did, he chose to ignore it) as he rested his hands on the officer's desk, showing concern and superficial worry.

"Inspector Sheridan," Graydon said in his baritone voice, "First of all, the Friends of Humanity wish to offer our deepest condolences for your fallen comrades and respected officers of the San Francisco police force. We can only imagine how much grief and anger you and the rest of the department must be feeling at your loss. I am truly sorry you had to suffer at the hands of those magical freaks and - "

"What do you want, Mr. Creed?" Sheridan broke in strongly, not bothering to listen to anymore of this. Graydon's face had a slight flash of irritation, but it was brief and replaced by the false pretense of sympathy as the leader of the Friends of Humanity began again.

"Just to offer my sympathies to you and you co-workers, and to say that we at the Friends of Humanity - "

"What do you want, Mr. Creed?" Sheridan asked again, this time slowly and punctuating each word in the query strongly like she was pounding a piece of red-hot metal with a sledgehammer like a blacksmith. Creed's face darkened before the bigoted anti-mutant zealot then got to the point.

"How would you and your fellow officers like to seek vengeance on the Slayers and all witches who committed this travesty against you and the honorable men and women who fought in that battle with the vampires and the wizards and demons? A woman of your expertise and natural leadership skills could be a great asset to our cause, especially since your superiors are so impressed by how well you handled the siege by the Slayers at the station along with the battle at the Halliwell Manor. The Friends of Humanity has sources and backers in high places, and like the Quarrymen, we can actively search out specific witches and any girl who can be a potential vampire slayer in the future. You obviously have done much research alongside Keyes' men on the subject, and with your help, you can help ensure that no human will ever fall victim to those alien, mutant, or magical freaks. Just provide us the information on anything you could about the Slayers and the Charmed Ones along with making sure that any evidence found at any crime scenes that link to me and my men mysteriously never see the light of court, and I will see to it that the Friends of Humanity takes care of all Wiccans, witches, and Slayers."

"I thought you and your thugs targeted only mutants, Mr. Creed," Sheridan said with dry and hidden abhorrence.

Creed felt his temper perk up at the "thug" reference as he clarified, "My **_men_** are willing to broaden their horizons, Inspector, especially since a Slayer and a witch couldn't possibly be any harder to exterminate than a mutant. In fact, since the X-Men and the Misfits and the mutie-sympathizers from G.I. Joe are more focused on their delusional dreams of mutant-human peace, it shall be far easier for my men to assassinate Slayer girls and practicing witches and Wiccans to help keep the public safe, with your help of course, Inspector Sheridan. Of course, we'll also be especially grateful if you could provide any information about mutants in hiding here in San Francisco and - "

"No."

Graydon Creed then stopped in mid-speech, not sure if he had just heard right.

"Excuse me?" the leader of the Friends of Humanity growled, feeling incredibly hostile and heated, his face starting to clench in impatience.

"I said, **no**, Mr. Creed," Inspector Sheridan repeated, her eyes cold and narrowed, sitting idly with her hands calmly folded in front of her on her desk.

"I suggest you not jump too irrationally to a decision and take some time to think about it, Inspector," Graydon said with barbed and sour, noxious antipathy and umbrage, but Inspector cocked her head to the side as if such a notion was foolish.

"I don't need time to think about this, as you so pompously assume, Mr. Creed, and I will not have any part in what you are proposing as long as it is against the law," the woman shot back, unyielding.

"The law is not always right, woman," Creed rumbled like a feral animal, ready to strike. Sheridan casually stood up from her seat before she nonchalantly and offhandedly brushed aside a flap of her jacket to show the hidden holster of her gun underneath her clothing before she shot back with steel.

"No, you are right: the law isn't always right….but it's good enough to rely on, and it's what separates me from terrorists and vigilantes like you and the X-Men. I stand by my answer, Mr. Creed. I will not help you or your organization."

Graydon's eyes bulged, bloodshot and glazed with anger, as he hissed with venomous disbelief, "I don't goddamn believe this! I thought you hated those Charmed and Slayer freaks! Why the hell are you on their side?"

Inspector Sheridan's voice was then icy, her nerve absolute and unyielding steel, and had any of the Misfits, Joes or X-Men been observing her, they would have marveled at her sudden resoluteness and lack of emotion as she clarified plainly for Creed to understand.

"**_I'm not, but I'm not on your side either, Creed._** Let me make this clear that there's only one side I'm on, and it's the law, the law that ensures I protect people, regardless of their status quo, religion and race, and yes, even if they're mutant, Slayer, and witch alike. But I also will have no problem busting any one of those abnormalities that can threaten and endanger innocent people should they ever commit a crime with their powers or their magic. And that same umbrella applies to you and your self-righteous organization, Creed, exactly like how we respectable enforcers deal with the Ku Klux Klan or the Quarrymen or even religious zealots like Purity. Those mutants and witches may not be for the law, **but neither are you**. So let me say this, Creed: if I find _any _hard evidence linking you or any other fascist from the Friends of Humanity to _anything_ incriminating in the future, no matter _who_ you do it to, you'll find yourself in prison and being somebody's bitch faster than you and your lackeys can say, '_No more mutants_'. Do I make myself clear?"

Graydon was incredibly and dangerously offended and displeased as he shot daggers at the officer before he violently rose from his seat in a jerky and swift motion. With his teeth bared, Creed growled, "You've made a big mistake, Inspector."

Sheridan just coldly shot back with detached impassiveness, "No, siding with terrorist thugs like the Friends of Humanity and Purity would have been a big mistake. This, on the other hand, would have been something I can gladly live with, especially after seeing the consequences of being Agent Keyes' lapdog. You can see yourself out, Mr. Creed. I assume the front door is still where you left it."

Fuming and too livid and embarrassed at being shot down to even utter an insult or a threat, Graydon Creed stomped out, taking extra care to slam the door hard while Sheridan just coolly and calmly picked up the next file and continued on her paperwork.

Inspector Sheridan may be a stubborn, narrow-minded shrew…but she also believed in the sanctity and honor of the law.

For the law, by the law, a distinct area of gray in a sea of conflicting black and white.

Graydon was absolutely apoplectic, his face purple and his mind running with numerous curses and insults too dark and offensive to be printed out as he stepped outside.

_Damn, stubborn, pig-headed, freak-loving woman_, Creed thought darkly to himself as he angrily left the station along with two of his armed goons and Duncan Matthews (still heavily bruised from his run-in with the Slayers), but then a voice spoke from the sidelines startled him and made him stop in his tracks.

"I take it things did not go as you expected with the good Inspector, Mr. Creed. A pity, really. She seemed like such a bright and noble woman of the law," a silky and polished, educated tone said in perfect but slightly accented English, and Creed turned around with henchmen to see a man and a woman come out from the shadows. The man was Japanese and around fifty or so years of age, distinguished and wearing an stiff and fine gray suit to match the strands of gray hairs on his temples and back of his neck. Yet despite the cultured and sophisticated look, the man's face was hardened with battle-expertise and cunning and clearly had seen his share of dark entities. Alongside the man was a young woman with reddish-brown hair up to her shoulders, and though a bit on the chubby side, she obviously could handle herself in battle and seemed capable of fighting. She was wearing black, loose fitting slacks and a black, leather trench-coat and was armed with three knives (one lashed to her belt, one attached to her left thigh, and one in her right boot) and spiked, silver knuckles.

"Who the hell are you?" Duncan growled as he got out his nine millimeter gun from his back.

"Point that gun at my boss, and I'll see to it that you die before you hit the ground, Matthews," the woman growled.

"Enough, Justine," the man said before he turned to Graydon and said, "I am actually a sympathizer of your cause, Mr. Creed. I wanted to meet you after this travesty at the Charmed Ones and the slayers escaping justice and being left free to terrorize the innocent."

"Who are you?" Graydon asked as he motioned to Duncan to lower his weapon.

"I am Zaizen…Takuma Zaizen, and this is my second-in-command and chief witch-hunter, Justine Cooper," the erudite and aged businessman said in his formal and refined tone as he nodded to his female associate to his right. Creed's eyes slightly perked up. He had heard of Zaizen before from the underground; Takuma Zaizen was the chief administrator and highest authority figure in the STN-J branch of the SOLOMON Organization in Japan, a society that dealt specifically with hunting down witches.

He was a world-renowned witch-hunter, although truthfully, in the past, Graydon Creed could have cared less considering that he dismissed witches as myth and concentrated more on his vendettas against mutantkind.

"What do you want?" Graydon asked.

"To make an offer. How would you like to request the services of the Purifiers, Creed? An alliance between both of our groups and resources could ensure that we gain enough supporters and might to take down the X-Men, Misfits, the Slayers, and those witches down along with their allies effectively. Granted, we have to be careful, but those fools are _not_ invincible, and we can give them plenty of trouble after the Gathering of Twilight. Should they die in the fight, then we'll be rid of them, but if they survive and beat this Thirteenth Order, then we'll easily deal with them after learning of their strengths and weaknesses. And just because we hunt down paranormal threats does not mean we will be insufficient at eliminating alien and mutant threats as well, Mr. Creed. And to further hone your interest, two of our financial backers are the prestigious billionaire tycoons, Wilson Fisk and Lex Luthor, themselves…and that of course is not including our backing from the Quarrymen of New York and the wealthy socialite, Vlad Masters," Zaizen replied.

That got Graydon's interest. Not even Stryker's Purity and H.A.T.E. had ties to Luthor and Fisk, at least, not anymore since the ugly incident with H.A.T.E. collaborating with the forces from Apokolips. And the Quarrymen association was the icing on the cake.

"I'm listening…" he drawled, a sadistic smile of eager anticipation forming on his lips.

---

"**_Ah, welcome to the proceedings, General Black. It is a pleasure to have you here. And we see that you have brought a guest with you_**," Blackheart intoned as the prestigious members of the Inner Circle and the Thirteenth Order turned to see the Omega Juggler general, General Black, walking towards them along with a tall male, both of them hidden in the murky and dim shadows in the chamber of white of the Thirteenth Order. All of them, from Lord Imperial and the mutant leaders of the Hellfire Club alongside with Luthor, Galatea, and Slade and Generals Silver, Eddington, and Eiling stood along with the hooded servants of the dark forces all around the cherished and holy fountain. The relic of black rock, fire, and obsidian displaying the gigantic badge of the Heartless seemed to grow even brighter thanks to the powers of the Nexus and the Phoenix Force flowing so freely amongst the powers of the small ball of flesh and blood carefully being levitated above the stone figures of the Heartless gathered around the symbol created by their master, Ansem. The miniscule specimen of cellular tissue and blood was bathed in a rosy red orb of light, and though nascent…the Organization was pleased to find it growing, nurtured and steadily showing utmost promise.

General Black stepped forward, his face hidden by the shadows of the room, but still stern and, if Luthor and Frost were not mistaken, a bit reluctant and bitter about being in the presence of the Organization. His companion respectfully remained hidden in the cover of the gloominess and shade by the Omega Juggler's requests.

"I daresay I wish it was a pleasure," General Black fumed before he gave his news, "You apparently have heard about the destruction of the Circle of the Black Thorn in the Wolfram and Hart branch in Los Angeles?"

"Yes, such a pity, Black," drawled Sebastian Shaw as he straightened out of cuff link of his elegant, silk buttoned shirt, obviously displaying the notion that he couldn't have cared less, "Of course, I am surprised that the firm could be easily duped and defeated by a mere soulful vampire and his pitiful band of followers. To be killed by mere humans, vampires, and an ancient demon? Such a disgrace."

"You obviously fail to comprehend the severity of the consequences of this setback, Shaw!" snapped General Black, "Now without the Circle of the Black Thorn, Wolfram and Hart is powerless on Earth! Without the chosen servants to accomplish the Senior Partner's bidding, the Earth is no longer bound by the demon inhabitants the Senior Partners! Wolfram and Hart has suffered a mighty blow, never to be as strong as before, and even our other branches all over the world cannot regain what we have lost! With all the members except Angel killed, the Senior Partners cannot rule the planet and the human race in darkness! We have lost our chance and all our plans have gone for naught! **_The L.A. branch has lost everything!_**"

"And, exactly, what do you wish for us to do, General?" Slade asked wearily, as if this talk bored him.

Black's voice then grew even as he said, "The Senior Partners have sent me to propose that if you are to indeed destroy all life on this planet and destroy the Slayers as well as their allies, they are willing to establish an alliance if you give them full reign of the Heartless in order to specifically target the Slayers and Angel."

"We can't allow that, Black," Axel said in a hard and dangerous tone, "Our Superior wishes to let you know right now that in this operation for the full control of Kingdom Hearts, the Thirteenth Order is to remain in top control of the Heartless and the powers of darkness. We do not bow before your bosses, and frankly, we are not afraid to establish this point."

"In short, we will always be in full control," Zexion stoutly replied.

"I'm afraid the Senior Partners will not be satisfied with that. They have always been the top-dog, so to speak," General Black growled, showing his disapproval. Xigbar and Xaldin of the Organization just frowned before they casually brushed General Black's warning aside.

"Then feel free to tell your Senior Partners of Wolfram and Hart that we have no interest in their involvement if we are to harness the power of Kingdom Hearts at the Gathering of Twilight, and needless to say, we do not fear their interference. The Thirteenth Order harnesses the powers of darkness and the Heartless that has consumed multiple worlds in various dimensions. Your Senior Partners, I am not ashamed to point out, only have the power and omnipotence to control this one world, _one sole planet_, while we have conquered and destroyed countless universes with the powers of darkness. As you can see, your superiors' collective might is dwarfed easily by the might of the Heartless and the Doors to the Light and Darkness," Xaldin coldly intoned.

"Lest we remind you, the Organization controls the Door to the Darkness, and your Senior Partners and the First, regardless of how powerful they are, best remember that **_they came from Kingdom Hearts_**," Xigbar said with malicious disapproval. The members of the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club were stunned when they heard this from the one-eyed member of the Organization.

"Well I'll be damned," muttered Luthor with surprise.

"Im-…**_impossible!_** The First and the Senior Partners of Wolfram and Hart? They came from Kingdom Hearts?" Selene exclaimed in shock and horrified amazement. Some, however, such as Slade and Harry Leland, knew better than to question it.

"It _does_ make sense if you think about it, Selene," the Black Bishop of the Hellfire Club said slowly, deep in thought, "Kingdom Hearts is the birthplace and source of the light and the darkness as well as the hearts of all worlds, so since the Senior Partners are powerful demons of another realm and the First is the embodiment of all evil on Earth, then it does logically establish that if Earth, like any other planet, has a heart and was created by Kingdom Hearts, then the evil forces of Earth must have additionally been created from Kingdom Hearts."

"Like any of us, the Senior Partners and the First are embodiments that must have appeared from somewhere, so I highly doubt that even those powerful entities can resist having an existence from the same point of origin where all worlds and hearts are born from," Slade additionally provided.

Demyx ignored the hushed side-chatter as he then facetiously and disrespectfully said to the Omega Juggler, "So, either your Senior Partners accept that we run the show or they can just simply get out of our way and let us proceed with our plans at the Gathering."

General Black then used his hidden trump card given by the Senior Partners as he hissed, "Do not be so brashly dismissive with the founders of Wolfram and Hart, Demyx. They are aware of the Keyhole of Earth. We know of its location."

Lexaeus snorted as he snapped back, "And you think that would give you and your associates of Wolfram and Hart bargaining leeway to reap the benefits of the Heartless invasion to come? Don't mock us, General Black! The Organization and the Heartless would be able to locate the Keyhole eventually, with or without your help."

"And what makes you think that we will not tell the heroes of it's location and betray you, especially since one of the X-Men, Misfits, or Joes would most likely be the wielder of the Keyblade?" General Black rumbled. Vexen smiled, his long mane of pale, blond hair catching the light reflecting off his icy, spiked shield.

"Ah, but then the Senior Partners would then be unable to doom the Earth with the future apocalypse, and considering that Angel and his associates have murdered all the members of the Black Thorn Circle, the Senior Partners are truly stuck and without a backup plan to summon the next day of reckoning. Thanks to the vampire's interference, the Slayers have escaped the bondage of death that comes with the mantle of their powers, Wolfram and Hart has severely lost the stranglehold it had over the world, never to be regained back to normal again, and though you still have many branches of the firm all over the world, none of them shall be able to re-establish what the Senior Partners have lost. They need a catastrophe, we can provide them one, and they will not do anything to endanger the Gathering or else they will kiss whatever chance they have of ruling this planet with their minions good-bye forever."

"This is the firm's last chance to doom the world," Axel snidely pointed out, "If you hinder us, the Senior Partners will never have this chance again to regain power through the Judgment Day of Earth…and to seek vengeance against Angel and the Slayers for causing them much grief in the past."

General Black seemed to be wrestling with the decision for a minute or two before he then spat out poisonously, "The Senior Partners have just informed me telepathically that although they do not like it, what you have just said holds truth, and as such, they concede…**_for now_**. And they wish to see that if Wolfram and Hart is to gain further favor and significance in its vendettas against the Slayers and Angel Investigations, we wish to provide a servant for you on our behalf to act as an association between the Senior Partners and your Superior. Our servant shall be forced to comply with your orders, as he is nothing more than a meaningless and backstabbing runt who deserves worse punishment for his betrayals, but we would like him to participate in helping to make sure that the Slayers and their allies perish, starting with Angel and his band of friends."

"I see no problem with that," Larxene said, the blond-haired woman nodding her approval, "Blackheart could use a lackey to help carry out his orders for the Heartless during the harvest."

"Then the Senior Partners shall send him now," the Omega Juggler gravely announced, and with a flash of black lightning, a cloud of darkness appeared in the middle of the silver and white-marble floor to reveal a naked and weak Lindsey McDonald, the same lawyer of Wolfram and Hart who was killed by Lorne when he helped Angel and his team betray and assassinate the Circle of the Black Thorn. Tea and General Silver raised their eyebrows; they knew of Lindsey's role in the demise of the L.A. branch.

"I take it you chose to resurrect this pitiful pretty-boy back from the dead in order to punish him for his betrayals to the firm?" Galatea asked in a bored, deadpanned tone.

"Shut your mouth, you goddamned cunt!" spat Lindsey, coughing up blood and mucus on the floor, indicating that he knew perfectly well of how he was the firm's bargaining chip, "I don't work for any demon, and I'm no one's slave! The firm deserved everything it got after they fucked with me!"

"**_I beg to differ, McDonald_**," Blackheart interrupted none too gracefully as he raised a glowing claw at Lindsey, and to the lawyer's horror, he saw that he chest was now painfully branded with the badge of the Heartless on his chest, the symbol attaching to his flesh and blood like a manacle, unbreakable and restraining, "**_You are now a Heartless, fused with the powers of darkness on behalf of the Thirteenth Order, and are now but an extension of my will, a puppet for my amusement, so to speak._**"

"Go to hell, asshole!" Lindsey hissed before he spat at Blackheart's feet while the servant of the Organization ambled up to him. Unfortunately, that was an enormous mistake; Blackheart was not one to take insubordination.

"**_You would do well to remember that you take your orders from me, McDonald, especially since I know hold rank as the Black Knight of the Hellfire Club_**," Blackheart coldly said without mercy as he grabbed Lindsey by the neck and clear lifted the man off the ground, his stranglehold leaving the ex-lawyer for Wolfram and Hart gurgling for air, dangling and his feet kicking wildly. The servant of the Organization was pitiless, however, as he continued to slowly wring Lindsey's neck.

"**_And as long as the Senior Partners from Wolfram and Hart do not give the slightest damn about your welfare due to your betrayals to the Black Thorn Circle, I'd advise you to watch your mouth and remember that from this day onward, you serve me and the Organization as our slave. And should you choose not to…I can easily remind you that there are things worse than death. And no one would really care on how loudly you scream and beg for my mercy._**"

With that, Blackheart dropped the lawyer-turned-Heartless to the floor.

Lindsey coughed and sputtered, gasping heavily, but the look of murderous and bitterness lacing his pretty-boy features made it perfectly clear to all the members of the Organization and the Hellfire Club that even though he would comply with the binding contract, he would not take this lying down and with grace. He would either break out or die trying.

Blackheart raised a hand, commanding to Lindsey, "**_Go, I have no need for you now, my slave. You shall be called when I have a mission that will require your assistance, but until then, go back to the darkness from whence you came. I grow weary of your meaningless presence…_**"

Lindsey seemed ready to insult Blackheart again, but Blackheart's eyes began to glow, and Lindsey winced and hissed in excruciating agony as he felt the Heartless symbol glow and burn against each and every fiber of his senses like infinite hellfire and unspeakable pain. Lindsey shot Blackheart a murderous look before he had no choice and vanished in a mass of smoke and ebony aura.

Meanwhile, the Organization, Luxord, turned his gray eyes to Blackheart.

"So you now hold a prominent position in the Inner Circle, I see," the gray-haired man remarked in a stern yet interested tone, "Well done on your advancements, Blackheart. I obviously can see that the Superior and Lord Imperial have made it so that you could provide excellent help during the hunt for the Talismans and the Keyblade wielder on Earth."

"And he has more or less earned the title," Lord Imperial remarked as he stared at the ball of flesh that was guarded by the pinnacle of the stone carvings gathered around the fountain of the Heartless, listening to the claming sounds of water cascading down the crystal clear pool below, "Blackheart has gained us the last ingredient we needed for Experiment 666. And now, we have a single experiment, harnessing the might of the Phoenix Force from one of the two fragments we took from Supergirl, the demon blood we gained from the Titan, Raven, and finally, the spirit of the planet itself thanks to the conquest of the Nexus. Ah, it shall be a thing of absolute beauty."

"Unfortunately, that may not exactly be the case," General Black broke in suddenly, "My sources from the other firms of Wolfram and Hart have also uncovered another troubling development: the Charmed Ones and the Slayers have been approached by the Ghostbusters. They are the first of the many new recruits the Ghostbusters are seeking to fight against Wolfram and Hart. And in its destabilized state, the firm may not be able to crush them like once before in the past…"

General Silver and Lord Imperial's eyes narrowed; this _was_ bad news…

"Those washed-out humans? Please, don't insult us and our intelligence. Even the Hellions could easily take them out. The Ghostbusters are nothing more than a joke, and a pitiful one at that," Frost scoffed.

"Can't we attack them then? By siding with the Ghostbusters, we'll have an incredibly easy time tracking down their movements and riding those Slayers once and for all, and if anything, it'll be a side-benefit to wipe out those Ghostbuster flat-liners," Pierce asked, contemplating.

"No, it will not be easy, and I assure you that the Ghostbusters are no joke, Emma, especially since the Ghostbusters have protection from the Powers That Be," Lord Imperial said at last, his voice hard and filled with bile.

"By the First and Satan, the Powers That Be?" Selene gasped, and all the other members of the Inner Circle were a bit taken aback at the look of pure terror on the dark witch's face (a rare occurrence indeed), "**_The Powers That Be?_** The Ghostbusters have protection…**from THEM?**"

The other members of the Inner Circle were surprised and astounded at the look of pure dismayed awfulness on the Black Queen's face.

"How bad is it, Selene?" Shaw asked at last.

"It's bad enough," muttered Selene, her expression incredibly troubled and vexed, "Not even the Senior Partners are willing to brush off the Powers That Be easily, not unless they wish to make the mistake of underestimating them like we have before with the Slayers. In my youth, I was imprudent and arrogant enough to try to vanquish them myself…needless to say, it was incredibly foolish despite my expertise in magic and power as an External."

"Then this does not help with our situation with the Slayers and the Charmed Ones, especially since they and the Watcher's Council will now have the protection of the Ghostbusters and any recruits they additionally manage to convince to help out," Pierce warned, but General Eddington smiled as he motioned for General Black's guest to step out of the shadows.

"Oh, I assure you, my dear Pierce," Eddington sneered with pleasure and satisfaction, "Eiling, Silver, Black, and I have recruited another person of impressive magical skills and cunning expertise in demonology and the occult to help ensure that the Charmed Ones, the Slayers, and the Ghostbusters will have some difficulty for the time to come until the Gathering of Twilight."

General Black declared with pride as a thin, sallow-faced, brown-haired British man stepped forward, "Esteemed members of the Hellfire Club and the Organization, may I present to you Mr. Ethan Rayne, the new superior and chief administrator of the Initiative."

"A pleasure, I'm sure," Ethan said with a casual cockney accent, and Shaw and Selene's eyes rose in surprise before both of them nodded their approval, realizing that it was indeed a good choice. After all, who else would be better to give Rupert Giles and his Slayers trouble than Giles' nemesis, himself.

"Ah, yes, I have heard of you, Mr. Rayne," Shaw commented as General Black and Ethan strode over to the fountain of the Thirteenth Order, "Quite an impressive line of work; your resume did not go unnoticed by Selene and General Black themselves. Still, I am curious to how exactly you escaped imprisonment after the Slayer Buffy and her friend, Riley, managed to catch you when you turned Giles into a Fyarl demon?"

"Eddington was able to pull a few strings on my behalf," Ethan bragged with venomous wickedness, "And of course, Wolfram and Hart were eager to find people who would be willing to destroy and abolish the Slayers in any matter they can get, especially since the Black Thorn's demise. And it is also thanks to them that the Initiative can dare to go much further in their attempts to wipe out all magical blights…especially now that they and their resources are under my command."

"A bit eager, aren't you? Are you sure you will be up for the challenge, Mr. Rayne, especially since Buffy is now _not_ the _only_ vampire slayer on this planet?" Emma purred, and Rayne gave her a brilliant smile, showing all his teeth.

"I have some unfinished business with dear Rupert…I daresay I should be able to give him and his precious brood much trouble."

General Black's smile on his face turned absolutely bone-chilling as he reminded the Hellfire Club, "As Eddington has mentioned before previously, we were successful in finding loyal Initiative soldiers who would have no qualms murdering Slayers, even if they are human girls."

"Quiet," commanded Marluxia suddenly at last, "the Oracle from the fountain is about to speak…"

Immediately, all fell silent as the eyes of each and every one of the stone Heartless decorating the fountain began to glow a peculiar and spine-chilling yellow luminescence, and the entire sterile chamber began to quiver from the power of the Organization's fortune-teller of the sacred fountainhead.

A voice, deep and sinister, then declared in a somber and final tone in the universal medium of dreaming and reality from the dark pools of water in the stone pond…

_**The Sovereign and**_

_**The Champion**_

_**of Twilight**_

_**shall fight for the hearts of all,**_

_**dusk and dawn unite.**_

_**Warriors born of fate,**_

_**blessed by pain and virtue,**_

_**will make way for the path**_

_**for the final decision**_

_**of the Hearts of Worlds.**_

_**The apex of Kingdom Hearts.**_

_**Allies shall rise and fight**_

_**In the Gathering of Twilight,**_

_**yet all shall be in vain**_

_**by the jealousy of some.**_

_**Sacrifice of twelve,**_

_**a Grail, a Mirror,**_

_**a Sword, and a Shield,**_

_**a unity of hearts,**_

_**where angels cheer and mourn**_

_**on the Earth of many.**_

_**A possible third door.**_

_**The princes and princesses of Twilight.**_

_**It shall not pass,**_

_**The Earth and all life consumed,**_

_**The Thirteenth Order will triumph,**_

_**for darkness is the heart's true essence**_

There was a ringing silence after the Oracle of the Fountain finished followed by smug looks and absolute and restrained glee at the successful execution and implementation of their plans. After so many months of planning and subtle and difficult manipulation, after so many eons of waiting…

"As you have said, it is coming…" Lord Imperial said with extreme satisfaction as he and the rest of the Hellfire Club eagerly took this piece of news joyously. After the Heartless ruled and conquered the Earth, they would be no less than gods themselves.

"Then let us begin…" Marluxia intoned with a smile, "and those fools from the X-Men and Misfits have no chance against us now, not when it has clearly stated that we shall win and triumph. We will all finally become complete beings. The mutants and their allies are as good as dead, each and every one of them. And their planet shall only be the _first_ to fall…"

---

Meanwhile, in another realm far, far away, where time and space knew no boundaries and had never existed (and beyond the knowledge and senses of anyone from the Thirteenth Order and the Hellfire Club), where there was no light nor darkness, another figure was hearing this very same prophetic foretelling of doom from a different Oracle, and at the last few verses, the figure sank to his knees and began to sob, his tears dripping and floating in the emptiness of matter and air, floating limply.

"No!" the hidden and unknown figure wept, "No, it's too late! **It's too late!** Everyone on Earth and all light and darkness beyond is doomed! The Gathering of Twilight…it's too late…"

And alone, the figure continued to sob softly, helpless and completely distraught.

---

At that very moment, somewhere in the middle of Midwest regions of the United States, in the middle of a serene and sweet-smelling wheat-field, above the starry sky and cool night air, there was a star, glowing brightly across the grassy plains. It was somewhat not like the other stars for it began to blaze even more dazzlingly and vibrantly, its starlight the color of soft peach and beige. Its intensity of luminescence could have easily rivaled that of the full moon. Thankfully, not a single person nearby noticed this, so the unusual bright anomaly went undetected as it flashed in the sky before it literally fell from the heavens as a falling star and crashed smack-dab in the middle of the lush and dry wheat-fields within minutes.

**_Wham!_**

There was a furious discharge of rosy-colored light and several thick clouds of dust and upturned dirt particles, but surprisingly enough, there was no usual, fiery explosion and cloud of choking ash that normally came with the event of a falling meteorite. In fact, had anyone been watching, they would have seen that the object that fell from the unseen yet powerful dimensional rift in the night sky was no meteorite, but instead, a living, four legged creature that was hibernating faintly, cocooned in an protective aura of radiance. The glow subsided and left the animal breathing shallowly and comfortably in the tall plants before it slowly stirred and woken up.

Amazingly, despite hurtling in velocities at the thousands and the acceleration of free-fall from Earth's lower atmosphere, the strange animal actually managed to survive without a single scratch, bruise, or even a single hair scuffed up from its silky pelt. It was as if it was protected by magic, and considering that no one, not even the powerful magic users and telepaths of the Organization and the Hellfire Club had been able to sense the animal's arrival into the current dimension of Earth, it probably was.

The creature blinked before it yawned and scratched his black ears with his hind foot before he arched his back and stretched lazily, and now that to soot and dust had settled, the moonlight displayed that the creature that crashed from the heavens and remained unscathed was a dog, a hound to be more precise.

The hound had golden, short fur, gleaming and smooth, his pelt silky as if raised under a life of luxury and had been brushed and cared for meticulously, and though lean, one could see his frame consisted of an adequate amount of fat and muscle. The canine had long, thin black ears and a black tail, similar to that of a mouse, but his eyes were the windows of his soul, wide and innocent and playful, never capable of anything evil. And his pupils were dark, but if one looked closely, they could see they were cycling through a rainbow of colors, changing in moments from blue to red to green to purple to black.

This was no ordinary dog.

The hound sniffed the air with his black nose, as if to catch a scent in the wind, before it let loose a loud bark of joy and set off, galloping and jumping as if lost in a euphoric dance. His feet made no noise or even left the slightest footprint indentations in the fragile wheat and rye, but at a steady and energized pace, the dog headed east where he knew his heart told him to go, and it would be there he would find what he needed to seek. And as he ran, the light of the moon and stars above caught on the strange tag that was attached around a green collar around his neck. The tag was shiny and metal, in the shape of three circles conjoined together to form a mouse's head and on the tag was one word clearly inscribed in simply yet bold letters:

PLUTO

_The End_

**Author's notes: The only characters I own are Justin Moore, Damionax, and Krygaw, the Whitelighters. All the others you see in this chapter are not mine and are the biggest hint of troubles to come. Zaizen is a character from the cartoon "Witch-Hunter Robin", and the characters Ethan Rayne, Justine Cooper, and Lindsey McDonald are characters from the Whedon-verse of the TV series, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". The concept of the Ghostbusters recruiting anf fighting against Wolfram and Hart is borrowed from a dear friend and respected author named "Sparky Genocide" who has written the ultimate Ghostbusters team-up crossover called "Ultimate Ghostbusters" (Do a Google search for "Sparky Genocide" and "Ultimate Ghostbusters" for I will eventually bring in his version for the Gathering of Twilight – thanks again SG!). The character Pluto is property of Disney and Kingdom Hearts (yes, he's THAT Pluto, the dog pet of Mickey Mouse). Now take heart for the next crossover is what I've been leading to for the past year, and folks, you won't want to miss it for it will be ugly! It shall all boil down to the pinnacle crossover I've been planning for the past two years! Prepare for the greatest crossover and battle the Misfits, the X-Men, and the Joes will face in their entire lives! It shall be the crossover with "Kingdom Hearts"! and the Oracle should be the biggest hint of what's to come in the epic story of Kingdom Hearts!**

**Misfits, X-Men, and Joes: How bad is this one?**

**Me: I'll put it to you this way, it's worse than this crossover…every friend and ally you met will have a role in this, and it is not pretty. It'll make what you did when you lost the Nexus seem like patty-cake…**

**Misfits, X-Men, and Joes: Oh no…**

**Until that crossover, I'll do two one-shots before uploading the first chapter! And wow, I can't believe I just finished this fanfic! It seems so monumental now! A special thanks to each and every one of my reviewers, and until next time, read, enjoy, and review! Constructive criticism welcome!**


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